Bassey Says Super Eagles Can Win AFCON 2025 in Morocco

Super Eagles defender Calvin Bassey has expressed strong belief that Nigeria can lift the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations trophy in Morocco, citing the team’s increased maturity and experience as key reasons for optimism ahead of the tournament.

The Fulham centre-back who featured prominently during Nigeria’s run to the 2023 AFCON final told Fulham’s official club website that both he and his teammates have grown considerably since their last continental campaign, adding that the squad now has the right blend of leadership and belief to go all the way.

Pitted in Group C with Tunisia, Tanzania and Uganda, Nigeria begin their title push against Tanzania later this month in Fès, hoping to end a 12-year wait for a fourth AFCON crown and make amends for missing the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Editorial

To proclaim confidence on the eve of a major tournament is to embrace football’s most essential paradox that hope, even in the face of uncertainty, can be the engine of performance. When Calvin Bassey speaks of the Super Eagles’ belief in lifting the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, he is articulating more than optimism he is giving voice to a philosophy of resilience born from experience and ambition tempered by reflection.

Nigeria’s footballing journey over the last decade has been a tapestry of brilliance and bewilderment dazzling talent, punctuated by moments of collective inconsistency. The memory of losing the 2023 AFCON final still aches for many, yet it also serves as an important reference point a blueprint of how far this team can go when collective purpose aligns with individual excellence.

Bassey’s own evolution from youthful contender to defensive lynchpin and captain in waiting mirrors the broader narrative of this squad. He speaks of maturity not as a cliché, but as a functional attribute a team that understands how to navigate adversity, manage games and harness the emotional weight of expectation without collapsing under it. That conceptual maturity is, arguably, just as important as tactical preparation or physical readiness.

And yet, belief alone will not win a continental title. Morocco, Senegal, Egypt and several other nations arrive with their own pedigrees and platforms of expectation. Analytical projections, such as those from Opta, place Nigeria among the contenders  but not the outright favourites underscoring that the path to glory is narrow and fiercely competitive.

But that framing, too, can be a catalyst rather than a constraint. In a tournament that often humbles presumptive favourites and elevates the driven, the audacity to believe articulated by leaders like Bassey becomes a strategic asset, not a sentimental aside. When confidence is rooted in experience and collective buy-in, it sharpens competitive edge rather than blunts it.

As the Eagles prepare to launch their campaign in Fès, that belief calibrated, earnest, resolute may yet be the spark that bridges aspiration with reality. In football, as in life, championships are as much won in the mind as on the pitch.

Did You Know?

1. Nigeria’s AFCON History The Super Eagles last lifted the Africa Cup of Nations in 2013, and have since reached the final only once before (in 2023).
2. Title Odds Statistical models from analytics firms like Opta rate Nigeria among the top five contenders for the 2025 AFCON title, though not as the pre-tournament favourite.
3. World Cup Setback Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, marking a rare absence from football’s most prestigious competition, adding extra emphasis on AFCON success.
4. Veteran Insight Former Super Eagles midfielder Ogenyi Onazi has also publicly backed Nigeria’s chances of winning AFCON 2025, noting parallels with the title-winning 2013 squad.
5. Perception Shift Some football commentators, including former captain Sunday Oliseh, believe Nigeria has lost some of its historical “fear factor” in African football due to recent inconsistent performances.