AFCON Semi-final: It’s West Africa against North Africa
As 24-nation AFCON contest narrows down to four, the battle line has been inadvertently drawn between two key regions of the African continent, writes TOSIN OMOJOLA
The line-up for the semi-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco has been confirmed, with two high-stakes clashes holding on Wednesday as the race for continental glory hots up.
24 countries began the contest, which has been fiecer right from the preliminary stages. Only four are now left to vie for the coveted trophy.
Interestingly, the battle is now down to a two-region contest: two North African countries, Morocco and Egypt, and two West African countries, Nigeria and Senegal.
Host Morocco and Senegal booked their places in the last four on Friday, while Nigeria and Egypt scaled through the following day to complete the semi-final line-up.
The first semi-final will see Senegal take on Egypt on Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. at the Grand Stade de Tanger in Tangier, in a clash that pits the Teranga Lions against the tournament’s most decorated side.
The second semi-final will see the free scoring Super Eagles of Nigeria face host nation Morocco the same day, at 9:00 p.m. at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.
THE LAST QUARTET
Western Post takes take a look at the surviving quartet, their strength and chances of claiming the title.
MOROCCO
The host nation has so far showed their eargearness to host and win, starting the race with a 2-0 win over Comoros.
Their second game, however, gave their fans concerns as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Mali after they rediscovered their winning form via a 3-0 whitewash of Zambia , thus finishing as Group A’s leader.
The Moroccans again struggled in the second round, sweating hard to pip Tanzania 1-0, thus securing a quarter final berth, where they met and dislodged the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon 2-0.
A semi final tie with Nigeria lies ahead and the host must be aware of the task, knowing fully well what the opposition in form of the Super Eagles can provide.
The strength of the Moroccans remains their vociferous crowd who they will bank on again to ginger them up against Nigeria come Wednesday.
KEY PLAYERS: Brahim Diaz, Mahmud El Khaaib, Achraf Hakim.
NIGERIA
Nigeria’s Super Eagles arguably remain the best in the contest so far with their intimidating record in the tournament going into the semi final.
A 2-1 win over Tanzania, followed by a 3-2 defeat of Tunisia and a 3-1 victory over Uganda, ensured the Eagles emerges from the preliminary stage with hundred percent record.
Against Mozambique in the second round, the Nigerians’ good run continued as they strolled past the Mozambicans with a 4-0 win, thereby booking their passage into the quarter final.
A domineering performance in the quarter final against Algeria saw the Eagles triumph 2-0, to seal a place in the semi final, thus setting up a titanic clash against host Morocco.
The strength of the Nigerians is in their fearful attacking force and this the Moroccans will find too hand to handle.
KEY PLAYERS: Ademola Lookman, Victor Osimhen, Alex Iwobi, Carlvin Bassey, Adams Akor.
EGYPT
The most successful nation in the history of the tournament with seven AFCON titles expectedly made it to the last four.
However, their route to the semi final has been unconvincing. Starting from the group stage, the Pharaohs struggled to win games.
In their first match, they had to come from behind to beat Zimbabwe 2-1. Against South Africa, they managed to win 1-0 before being held to a goalless draw by Angola.
They took Benin Republic to the cleaners in the second round via a 3-1 win but had to fight tooth and nail to scale the hurdles of Ivory Coast, beating the Elephants 3-2.
Based on thier performance going into the semi final, where they will face the Teranga Lions of Senagal, the Egyptians will once again rely on luck to survive the Senegalese onslaught.
KEY PLAYERS: Mohammed Salah, Omar Marmoush, Ahmed El-Shenawy.
SENEGAL
The Teranga Lions had a good run in the preliminary stage, beating Botswana 3-0, before being held to a 1-1 draw by DR Congo after which they thumped Benin Republic 3-0 to book the flight to the second round.
While the Senegalese sailed convincingly into the quarter final with a 3-1 win over Sudan, they had to fight their way through in the quarter final, where they managed to beat Mali 1-0.
Goal scoring seems to be the strength of the Senegalese and this they will hope to reenact when they square up against Egypt on Wednesday.
KEY PLAYERS: Sadio Mane, Khalido Koulibali, Pape Guaye.
