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AFCON Preview – Final spot at stake as Nigeria eye Morocco scalp – 2025 Africa Cup of Nations
Tuesday Jan 13, 2026. 14:54
Nigeria will be looking to end Morocco’s dream of winning the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title when the two former winners meet in Rabat on Wednesday.
Kick-off is at 10:00 pm CAT.
The semi-final match will take place at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, which was built in two years, potentially granting it the Guinness World Record for the fastest stadium construction in the world.
The Super Eagles booked their place in the last four after securing a 2-0 victory over Algeria in a quarter-final match on January 10, extending their unbeaten run to five matches across all competitions, which consists of five successive victories.
The win kept Nigeria’s bid to win their first AFCON title since 2013 and their fourth continental trophy on track. However, the West African giants will be facing their biggest challenge yet when they take on the tournament hosts in front of almost 70,000 passionate Moroccan fans.
“Morocco is a great team, and it’s never easy to be the host country because the pressure is enormous. But at the same time, there’s a tremendous amount of work being done behind the scenes.” Nigeria’s head coach Eric Chelle said.
“Morocco’s coach (Regragui) is very good and has exceptional players. All I hope for is that we have a great match, worthy of the quality of both teams.
“Just try to put yourself in any manager’s shoes to understand the magnitude of the responsibility. It will be an open game, and may the best team win.”
Nigeria captain Wilfred Ndidi will be absent as the midfielder is suspended due to yellow card accumulation, while his teammate Bright Osayi-Samuel is an injury concern after being forced off late in the quarter-final against Algeria.
Morocco, on the other hand, reached this stage of the tournament after emerging as 2-0 winners against Cameroon on January 9 and they extended their unbeaten run to 25 matches across all competitions under coach Walid Regragui.
The victory over five-time African champions Cameroon has surely boosted the Atlas Lions’ confidence as the team bids to end an almost 40-year wait for their second AFCON title, having finished second in the 2004 edition and third in the 1980 tournament.
“We spent a lot of energy in the first half [against Cameroon], we were all over the field. But in the second half we fell back, so there are things that can be improved,” Morocco head coach Walid Regragui said.
“We need to just keep going one game at a time. We have not done anything yet. It is historic. Moroccans have not seen their team in the semi-finals of an AFCON for 22 years.
“They deserve it but we need to keep our feet on the ground and make it even more historic.”
Morocco have no injury concerns or suspensions reported for the crucial match against Nigeria, which means Regragui has a full-strength squad available, as things stand.
Nigeria and Morocco have met 11 times across all competitions since their maiden meeting in September 1969.
The Atlas Lions have the edge in this rivalry, winning six matches, compared to the Super Eagles’ four victories and one game ended in a draw.
The last meeting between the two teams ended in a 4-0 win in favour of Morocco in the 2018 CHAN final match played at the Stade Mohammed V, in February 2018.
The winner between Nigeria and Morocco will lock horns with either Senegal or Egypt in the final on January 18 at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.
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Commonwealth Games: Megan Keith claims bronze for Scotland in 5000m infront of 100-year-old grandad
Given Keith herself was a tad surprised she scooped up a medal here, her grandad’s take on the event ought to be a good one.
The 10,000m is her preference, but the longer distance final did not go to plan on Monday and she finished seventh.
The Inverness athlete said she was faced with the ‘can Megan win a medal?’ talk earlier this week, but with that weight of expectation lifted – combined with experience of the home crowd and “the help of two other Scots in the race” – she was freed from the shackles to soar to a classy and courageous run.
“If you look at Monday on paper, that was pretty disappointing,” the 24-year-old added.
“I don’t think you’d put me in the running for a 5km medal since the 10km is normally closer to being my strength, so that definitely helped, the removal of that pressure.
“I think I knew if I felt horrendous and dropped out or fell off the pace again it wouldn’t really matter so I may as well shoot my shot.”
And shoot she did. Biding her time in the middle of the congested pact, Keith made her move with four laps to go, weaving past early pacesetters from Kenya and Uganda.
She was afforded a bit of breathing space with two hurls around the track to go. But as expected, the exceptional Australian duo of Rose Davies – who made it a double gold at these Games with her 10km – and Jessica Hull, the 1500m Olympic silver medallist, entered another gear in the final lap.
While the cameras focused on the tremendous tussle between the pair in the matching yellow vests, the majority of the crowd had their eyes a wee bit further back, bawling at Keith on the final stretch.
She was home safe and sound. And swiftly searching for a saltire.
Once that was draped over her shoulders, and she’d caught up with fellow Scots Eloise Walker and Laura Muir, who finished 15th and 16th respectively, she was darting back around the track – the wrong way, this time – in search of her grandad.
He was eventually found for a quick hug, but a bigger debrief – and the declaration, surely, that this topped any other Scotstoun occasion – is still to be had.
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Commonwealth Games 2026: England netball team beat South Africa to reach semi-finals
England’s netballers reached the Commonwealth Games semi-finals after producing a pulsating comeback to beat South Africa 58-54.
With both sides tied on six points but the Roses ahead of the Proteas on goal average in pool A’s second spot going into the game, England had to avoid defeat to progress.
Elmere van der Berg was in fine form early on to fire South Africa into a six-goal lead at the end of the first quarter with 16 of her nation’s 17 goals, leaving England facing an uphill task.
But some excellent and aggressive defensive work by second-quarter substitute Halimat Adio helped England spring multiple counter-attacks to claw their way back to just 29-28 down at the halfway stage.
The Roses started to take control in the third quarter, opening up a seven-goal lead at one stage before the Proteas netted three times in quick succession to go into the final 15 minutes 43-39 behind.
Both sides then went blow for blow in a compelling final quarter with 15 goals apiece, but 2018 champions England held on to ensure they maintained their record of qualifying for every Commonwealth Games semi-final since the inaugural netball event in 1998.
England will face New Zealand in the last four on Saturday, while South Africa’s wait for a first semi-final since 1998 goes on.
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Fifa World Cup: Uefa to boycott tournament if Gianni Infantino’s investment plans go through
In a statement released after Thursday’s meeting, which was held virtually and chaired by president Aleksander Ceferin, Uefa said it and its 55 member associations “stand as one”.
“We unanimously and unequivocally reject Fifa’s proposal to transfer ownership interests in the World Cup and other Fifa competitions to private investors,” it said.
On Wednesday, Uefa had accused Fifa of using football “to enrich themselves and their friends”.
Its statement on Thursday was even more damning, calling it “irresponsible and indefensible that a proposal of such significance for football was conceived in secret” and “without any meaningful consultation” with those who steward the game.
It added: “This is not merely a profound failure of leadership, but an abdication of Fifa’s duty as the custodian of world football.
“National associations around the world are now presented with an ultimatum: accept the irreversible capture of football’s greatest competitions or bear the consequences.
“This is not a ‘democratic decision’, but governance by intimidation – an act of coercion unworthy of an institution entrusted with the stewardship of the global game.”
While Uefa only accounts for a quarter of Fifa’s membership, it does include most of the world’s most successful teams.
Six of the eight quarter-finalists – including winners Spain – at this summer’s World Cup were European. In the 2022 and 2018 editions, the figures were five and six respectively.
Of the 23 World Cups to have taken place to date, 13 have been won by European countries.
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CK Updates13 hours agoFifa World Cup: Uefa to boycott tournament if Gianni Infantino’s investment plans go through
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CK Updates7 hours agoCommonwealth Games 2026: England netball team beat South Africa to reach semi-finals
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CK Updates19 hours agoStephen Fleming: England appoint former New Zealand captain as Test coach, with Joe Root captain

