Nigeria's Super Eagles are intensifying their preparations for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco, facing a mix of challenges and timely boosts. A significant development for the squad is the much-anticipated return of centre-back Igoh Ogbu, who made a successful comeback for Slavia Prague after a 91-day absence due to a hamstring injury. His return, playing the final 19 minutes of Slavia Prague's 3-0 victory over Slovacko, is a crucial lift for coach Eric Chelle, especially given the recent devastating loss of Benjamin Fredrick.

Fredrick, widely regarded as the Super Eagles' most in-form defender and hailed as 'the future' by captain William Troost-Ekong, suffered a training-ground injury that rules him out until after the tournament. His versatility as a centre-back, right-back, or defensive midfielder, and his dominant performances in World Cup qualifiers, including against strong opponents like Gabon, created an irreplaceable gap in the team's defensive structure. While Ogbu does not offer the same versatility, his experience, physicality, leadership, and understanding of defensive organisation provide a timely reinforcement ahead of the tournament, with the 24-year-old aiming to regain full sharpness for the AFCON squad announcement.

Amidst these defensive considerations, Super Eagles and Fulham attacking midfielder Alex Iwobi has voiced strong optimism for Nigeria's chances at AFCON 2025. Set to feature in his fourth AFCON, Iwobi recalled winning a bronze medal in 2019 and a silver medal in 2023, stating, 'the only way we can improve from the last AFCON is to win the next one.' He expressed confidence in the team's players and sought to 'manifest' a victory, hoping Nigeria would lift the trophy. Nigeria has been drawn into Group C alongside Tanzania, Tunisia, and Uganda, with their campaign kicking off against Tanzania in Fez, Morocco.

Despite Iwobi's positive outlook, there are acknowledged hurdles. Based on FIFA Power rankings and AI predictions, while Nigeria is a leading candidate, the midfield and defense are noted as weaker compared to the continent's most lethal attack. With Ola Aina in doubt and Fredrick ruled out, the task is made even harder. Additionally, several key players like Frank Onyeka, Tolu Arokodare, Taiwo Awoniyi, Sadiq Umar, Kelechi Iheanacho, Bright Osayi-Samuel, Bruno Onyemaechi, Zaidu Sanusi, and Samuel Chukwueze have struggled for regular club minutes, which could impact fitness in a physically demanding tournament. However, the experience of senior players is hoped to compensate for this.

Further impacting Nigeria's representation at the tournament is the absence of Nigerian match officials. Nigeria’s top refereeing chief, Sani Zubairu (FIFA Rtd) of the Nigeria Referees Association, clarified claims that CAF deliberately overlooked the country in its selection for AFCON 2025. He explained that two FIFA-graded Nigerian officials were invited for the pre-tournament training phase in Egypt but unfortunately failed both the physical and technical tests, leading to their exclusion from the final 73-man list. This rigorous selection process meant Nigeria, a three-time African champion, stands as the only former AFCON-winning West African nation without referee representation. The tournament is scheduled to run from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026, with officials reporting to Morocco by December 15 for an intensive preparatory camp.