Former Nigeria coach Philippe Troussier has ranked the Super Eagles among the contenders to win the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, which kicks off in Morocco this evening.

Three-time African champions Nigeria enter the tournament eager to make amends following their failure to qualify for the 2026 Fifa World Cup via the playoffs, after a painful penalty shoot-out defeat to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Only fifteen nations have won the Africa Cup of Nations in its history, with Egypt leading the honours list on seven titles, followed by Cameroon with five and Ghana with four, while Nigeria and Ivory Coast have each lifted the trophy three times.

Troussier named Morocco as his favourites for the title but stressed that the tournament is expected to be highly competitive, pointing to the growing depth of African talent featuring in Europe’s top leagues.

"I am confident that the tournament will be strong and competitive, especially with the large number of African players in the major European leagues, which makes the tournament more like a mini World Cup," Troussier said to Filgoal. 

"For me, Morocco is in the lead, along with Ivory Coast, Senegal, Algeria, South Africa, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Egypt after that."

Troussier was nicknamed 'The White Witch Doctor' because of his unconventional, intense, and almost mystical coaching methods that transformed African teams.

Apart from the Super Eagles, the Frenchman also coached Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, South Africa and Morocco. 

Ifeanyi Emmanuel