Soccer
Eric Chelle and Super Eagles players.
Copyright: Imago
The Super Eagles of Nigeria have learnt their opponents for the Round of 16 at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Soccernet.ng reports.
The OS Mambas of Mozambique are set to stand between Eric Chelle’s side and a place in the quarter-finals.
Nigeria booked their passage into the knockout rounds after a flawless Group C campaign, winning all three matches against Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda.
Knockout time. The final 16 of the #TotalEnergiesAFCON2025. pic.twitter.com/A7IF2aBU6G
— TotalEnergies AFCON 2025 (@CAF_Online) December 31, 2025
The three-time African champions now return to the familiar surroundings of the 35,000-capacity Complexe Sportif de Fès, where they will face Mozambique in a last-16 encounter of the AFCON 2025 scheduled for Monday, 5 January, with kick-off set for 8 pm.
Having already secured qualification early, Nigeria rotated their squad in the final group game against Uganda but still cruised to a 3–1 win. This shows a strong Chelle’s squad as they head into the knockout phase.
Soccer How Nigeria vs Mozambique was decided
Nigeria finished top of Group C with maximum points, sealing their place in the Round of 16 with wins over Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda. Their perfect group run ensured a favourable draw in the knockout bracket.
Mozambique, meanwhile, qualified as one of the teams advancing from their group after a mixed set of results. They opened their campaign with a defeat to defending champions Côte d’Ivoire, bounced back with a crucial 3-2 win over Gabon, and then fell 2–1 to Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions in their final group match.
That combination of results was enough to book their place in the last 16 and set up a meeting with Nigeria.
Soccer Head-to-head: Nigeria vs Mozambique
Historically, Nigeria have enjoyed the upper hand in this fixture. The Super Eagles have won four of the five previous meetings between the two nations.
Their only AFCON encounter came during the 2010 tournament in Angola, where Nigeria claimed a dominant 3–0 victory in Lubango.
Nigeria also won a friendly in Maputo in August 1999 by a single goal and edged Mozambique 3–2 in another friendly played in Portugal in October 2023.
The two sides also crossed paths during the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, drawing 0–0 in Maputo before Nigeria secured a dramatic 1–0 win in Abuja, with Obinna Nsofor scoring deep into added time to keep Nigeria’s World Cup hopes alive.
Confidence is high within the camp following their strong group-stage performances, but Mozambique will be keen to upset the favourites in Fes.
Ayomide Oguntimehin
Ayomide Oguntimehin is a CAF-accredited sports journalist and Editor at Soccernet.ng. He has interviewed Super Eagles stars like William Troost-Ekong, Taiwo Awoniyi, Bright Osayi-Samuel, and Ademola Lookman, and is known for breaking major transfer stories.
Ayomide has worked with Sports Brief, Naija News and served as Social Lead Editor at Legit.ng. He has also featured on Goal, TVC News, Sports Mole, and Milan News24. He holds a Master’s degree and is currently pursuing a PhD. Follow Ayomide on X (formerly Twitter): @ayo_oguntimehin
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