AFCON 2025 offers Super Eagles chance to regain fans’ trust – Osimhen
By Tosin Omojola –
After the team failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen believes the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which kicked off on Sunday in Morocco, offers Nigeria a chance to make amends and restore confidence among football fans.
The Eagles endured a difficult World Cup qualifying campaign, failing to secure an automatic ticket from their group, which was won by South Africa, before missing out on a second opportunity after losing on penalties to DR Congo in a play-off last month in Morocco.
The team has now regrouped and shifted focus to the AFCON, where they have been drawn in Group C alongside Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda. Nigeria will begin their campaign on Tuesday at the Fez Stadium.
Despite supercomputer predictions and growing scepticism surrounding the team due to repeated heartbreaks on the big stage, Osimhen believes the tournament presents a fresh opportunity to reconnect with supporters and bring joy back to Nigerian football fans.
“We really understand their frustration. We gave everything to qualify for the World Cup, but penalties are sometimes about luck – sometimes you win, sometimes you don’t,” Osimhen told CaliSports after a training session in Fez on Sunday.
“Now we have the opportunity to win back the hearts of our fans. I want to say a big thank you to the Super Eagles supporters who never gave up on us and stood by us through the good and the bad. This AFCON is a chance to rewrite our wrongs, and we are ready to give our all.”
Despite being one of the most prolific scorers in Super Eagles history, with 31 goals in 46 appearances, Osimhen has managed just one goal in eight AFCON matches across two tournaments, in 2019 and 2024.
