As Nigeria stormed through Group C of AFCON 2025 with a perfect nine points, excitement among fans has been matched with cautious reflection. History suggests that winning all three group-stage matches has often come with an unexpected price.
Softfootball highlights previous AFCON editions where dominant group-stage teams suffered shocking Round of 16 exits. In 2019, hosts Egypt won all three matches but crashed out early. Nigeria repeated the same fate in 2021, while Senegal followed suit in 2023 after a flawless group campaign.
Now in 2025, Algeria have already completed a strong group stage and face DR Congo in the Round of 16. Nigeria, on the other hand, will take on Mozambique on January 5 after defeating Tanzania 2-1 , Tunisia 3-2 , and Uganda 3-1 .
