AFCON 2025: Nigeria - Egypt, A historic rivalry for the bronze medal
A few hours before the small final of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Nigeria and Egypt are meeting for a ranking match full of history. The match will be played this Saturday, January 17th from 16h GMT, at the Mohammed-V stadium, with the third place in the tournament at stake.
Philemon MBALE · Author profile ·
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A global assessment to the advantage of the Super Eagles
Nigerians and Egyptians have clashed 20 times since their first official opposition in 1960. Nigeria lead the record with 9 victories, against 6 successes for Egypt, while 5 matches ended in a draw. A statistic that reflects the overall balance of this rivalry, while highlighting a slight Nigerian ascendancy.
A rivalry made of cycles and closed matches
Over time, confrontations often followed cycles. Nigeria marked the 1970s with several broad successes, before Egypt took over at certain times, notably in the 1990s and early 2010s.
In recent years, the momentum has again shifted in favor of the Super Eagles, winners of three of the last four duels, including that of the 2021 AFCON (1-0). Generally competitive, tactical encounters, where defensive control and the management of low times have often made the difference.
A small finale to save the honor.
Eliminated in the semi-finals, the two players approach this small final with the clear objective of ending the competition on a positive note. Nigeria remains on a frustrating penalty shoot-out against Morocco, while Egypt gave up on the smallest of scores against Senegal.
Beyond the ranking, this duel constitutes a new episode of a major rivalry in African football.
History of confrontations Nigeria – Egypt
January 1, 1960 — Nigeria 2-1 Egypt
24 November 1963 — Nigeria 3-6 Egypt
January 14, 1973 — Nigeria 4-0 Egypt
March 14, 1976 — Nigeria 3-2 Egypt
October 8, 1977 — Nigeria 4-0 Egypt
October 21, 1977 — Egypt 3-1 Nigeria
March 15, 1980 — Nigeria 1-0 Egypt
February 20, 1983 — Nigeria 1-1 Egypt
March 14, 1984 — Nigeria 2-2 Egypt
March 20, 1988 — Egypt 0-0 Nigeria
March 5, 1990 — Nigeria 1-0 Egypt
March 30, 1994 — Egypt 0-0 Nigeria
September 21, 1995 — Egypt 1-0 Nigeria
November 25, 2002 — Nigeria 1-1 Egypt
January 12, 2010 — Egypt 3-1 Nigeria
April 12, 2012 — Egypt 3-2 Nigeria
March 25, 2016 — Nigeria 1-1 Egypt
March 29, 2016 — Egypt 1-0 Nigeria
March 26, 2019 — Nigeria 1-0 Egypt
January 11, 2022 — Nigeria 1-0 Egypt