Nigeria captain Wilfred Ndidi has set sights on securing bronze medal against Egypt at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
The Super Eagles’ title ambition hopes dashed on Wednesday after succumbing to a penalty shootouts defeat to Morocco after a pulsating goalless draw in both regular and extra-time.
The West African football heavyweights will now battle it out with Egypt in the third-place match, scheduled for Saturday, January 17, 2026 at the Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca.
Despite admitting Egypt threat, Ndidi, who missed the semi-final clash through suspension has expressed optimism about his outfit securing third spot at the tournament.
“We will face a very tough match against Egypt. We want to win and finish this tournament in third place.”
“We put on a great performance and penalty kicks denied us a place in the final, but we must build on what happened and maintain this momentum.”
“The first step in the right direction would be to keep the team’s coach (Eric Chelle) in his position. He is a great, ambitious coach and he treats us well.”
The Eagles have finished third 8 times in the history of the African Cup of Nations, while the Egyptian national team has won the bronze medal 3 times.
The two teams had previously met in the third-place match of the 1976 tournament, which was won by the Moroccan team.
At that time, the Nigerian national team defeated their Egyptian counterparts by three goals to two, thus winning third place at the expense of the Pharaoh.
