Nigeria

The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign is in the books, with all 24 qualifiers for next year's biennial competition now confirmed. ESPN present the definitive recap on all things AFCON.

It was a frantic and intense AFCON qualifying group stage, with high-profile sides like Ghana missing the finals and some of the continent's lesser lights looking forward to a shot at Africa's grandest prize.

Losing to Rwanda was not the result Nigeria were expecting in their final game of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, despite having already sealed their place in Morocco.

The goalkeeper learned of his father's death only after helping the Super Eagles secure AFCON qualification.

It was not pretty, but Nigeria's Super Eagles did just enough to eke out the point that cemented their place at the 2025 African Cup of Nations, drawing 1-1 with Benin on Thursday.

Gabon, Nigeria, South Africa, Tunisia and Uganda all booked spots at the next Africa Cup of Nations finals on Thursday, some without even playing in the latest qualifiers.

Unless the unimaginably catastrophic happens, it is tough to see Nigeria not getting that point, at the very minimum, and then switching their focus to other tactics and achievements.

Galatasaray forward Victor Osimhen is back in the Nigeria squad after missing last month's Africa Cup of Nations qualifying fixtures against Libya due to injury.

Ademola Lookman's outstanding Serie A double against Napoli demonstrated why he's the hot favourite to win CAF's African Footballer of the Year award for 2024.

Nigeria have been awarded a 3-0 victory over Libya, and three vital points, from their scheduled Africa Cup of Nations qualifier earlier this month which they refused to play after being stuck in a remote Libyan airport for half a day before the match.