Nigeria has lost only one of its 12 quarter-final matches in AFCON history

  • Nigeria has won 11 of its 12 AFCON quarter-final matches, losing only once (2008).
  • The only quarter-final defeat came against Ghana, highlighting the intensity of historic rivalries.
  • Most Nigerian wins were by narrow margins.
  • Nigeria has beaten a wide range of opponents at this stage, including Algeria, Senegal, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and South Africa.
  • Penalty shootouts feature twice, reflecting composure under extreme pressure.
  • Nigeria’s quarter-final success spans over 30 years, cutting across different generations of players.

Nigeria’s 2–0 victory over Algeria has once again confirmed a long-standing AFCON reality: the quarter-final stage belongs to the Super Eagles. With this win, Nigeria advances to its 12th AFCON semi-final appearance, extending a psychological dominance at the last-eight stage that has held for more than three decades.

Algeria’s technical quality and tactical intent were not enough to break a Nigerian side that treats the quarter-final as a gateway they almost never fail to cross.
To this day, only Ghana has ever stopped Nigeria at the Top 8 in AFCON history.

Source:

CAF and Yahoo Sports

Period:

Jan 2026
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