Tijani Babangida: Winning AFCON 2025 Can Heal the Pain of Nigeria’s World Cup Miss

Former Super Eagles winger Tijani Babangida believes that winning the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco would go a long way in easing the heartbreak of Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Nigeria missed out on the mundial after a dramatic 4–3 penalty shootout loss to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the African playoffs last month. It was a setback that shocked and saddened millions of fans across the country.

Babangida, speaking in an interview with Tribal Football, admitted that the disappointment is still difficult to accept but insisted that the team now has an opportunity for redemption.

“I think that after the unfortunate experience of missing the FIFA World Cup back to back, it is still very painful to digest this reality,”
Tijani Babangida

He added that the upcoming AFCON presents a perfect chance for the Super Eagles to restore pride and rebuild trust with supporters.

“However, the next target is the AFCON tournament, which can be used to redeem the image of Nigeria football.”

Nigeria’s AFCON 2025 campaign begins on Tuesday, 23 December, when they take on the Taifa Stars of Tanzania in Fez, Morocco.