Coach Eric Chelle has said he believes the Super Eagles will be the team to beat at the 2025 AFCON should they win the CAF 2026 World Cup Playoffs also in Morocco as a prelude.
The World Cup Playoffs are slated for next week, while the AFCON will kick off next month.
“Before AFCON, there’s a crucial target: the World Cup play-offs. The goal is to win those matches (note: against Gabon on 13 November and, if successful, the final on 16 November). If we win the first, we’ll aim for the second, then turn to AFCON,” Eric Chelle told cafonline.com
“If we arrive (at the AFCON) on the back of play-off success, stopping us will be difficult.”
However, the Super Eagles coach named hosts Morocco as well as Tunisia and defending champions Cote d’Ivoire as pre-tournament favourites.
“Morocco are favourites, Tunisia, Côte d’Ivoire… nations in top form,” he said.
“Given our history, our quality of play and the calibre of past and present players, we must deliver a great AFCON.
“It’s a tough group: Tunisia have had an excellent year; Uganda are improving fast under Paul Put; Tanzania’s domestic league is competitive.
“We’ll have to be very serious and trust our mindset.”
