Super Eagles assistant captain, William Troost-Ekong, has admitted that Nigeria should not be considered among the favourites to win the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
The Super Eagles, who finished as runners-up in the last edition hosted by Côte d’Ivoire, are hoping to go one better this time around. However, the Saudi Arabia based defender believes the competition will be wide open.
“I think that’s overstated,” Ekong told CAF media. “We’ve got an amazing squad — too many talented players to name — but objectively, Morocco are at home and in great form, Côte d’Ivoire are defending champions, Senegal are strong… there’s no such thing as a clear favourite at AFCON.”
He further explained that the unpredictable nature of the tournament makes it one of the toughest competitions in world football.
“Last time, not many expected us to go that far. You can’t win a tournament based on expectations, and we won’t get complacent. AFCON is difficult strong teams can come from anywhere,” he said.
“We believe in ourselves, but I wouldn’t say we’re clear favourites,” Ekong concluded.
