Yaya Touré names Nigeria most impressive team at AFCON 2025

By Tosin Omojola –

Despite failing to win the Africa Cup of Nations, recently held in Morocco, Nigeria’s Super Eagles have been rated as the most impressive side in the tournament.

The 35th AFCON concluded on Sunday, with Senegal claiming the title after a nail-biting 1-0 win over hosts Morocco.

Nigeria failed to progress beyond the semi-finals, losing 4-2 on penalties to the Atlas Lions, but the Super Eagles ended as the third-best side after defeating Egypt 4-2 on penalties.

Former Côte d’Ivoire star Yaya Touré has given his verdict on the performances of the 24 countries that participated in the tournament, including his own country, Côte d’Ivoire, who entered as the defending champions.

The former Manchester City player bypassed the champions Senegal and hosts Morocco in his assessment, instead naming Nigeria as the standout team of AFCON 2025.

“I was impressed with Nigeria. They play good football. When you see the stats, they’ve been scoring more goals than usual. Even the full-backs are playing very well,” said Touré.

“The most impressive for me was Nigeria – the football they played, the goals they scored. The players were outstanding because two of the best African players were on their team.

“They played such wonderful games and were only knocked out by Morocco in the semi-final,” concluded the ex-FC Barcelona star.