Cairo, Egypt – Nigeria and Tunisia go face to face for their Group B opening match at the TotalEnergies CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) on Thursday, May 1. The match will take place at the 30 June Stadium, kicking off at 6:00 p.m. local time (15:00 GMT).
These two old rivals prepare for an intense clash, marking their fourth meeting in the U20 AFCON. In their past encounters, Nigeria has won three times, with Tunisia winning once. One match ended in a draw. Notably, Nigeria has scored in all five of their previous duels against Tunisia.
The history between both teams dates back to 1981 when Nigeria edged out Tunisia 5-4 in aggregate over two legs. In that encounter, Nigeria first crushed Tunisia 4-0 but faced tough resistance in the return leg, losing 4-1. However, it was not enough to stop Nigeria from claiming the win.
Both teams are not new to the competitive nature of this tournament. Nigeria has dominated the U20 AFCON scene with seven titles, making them the most successful team in the competition’s history. They have reached the semi-finals at least 16 times in their 19 appearances, missing qualification on only four occasions.
According to statistics, Nigeria has only lost one of their last 11 group stage matches, making their strength evident going into the tournament.
For Tunisia, this marks their third consecutive appearance in the finals, last participating in tournaments between 1979 and 1989. Their best finish was as runners-up to Nigeria in 1985. Tunisia has demonstrated resilience, reaching the semi-finals in the last two tournaments, although they’ve struggled against West African teams, remaining winless in their last nine encounters.
Tunisia comes into the match looking to improve their record, especially after a tough campaign in the previous AFCON where they conceded heavy scores, including a 4-0 loss to Nigeria.
The coaches for both sides have shared their confidence ahead of the match. Nigeria’s head coach, Aliyu Zubairu, expressed that their recent win over the host nation, Egypt, in a friendly served as a morale booster as they prepare for the Tunisians. “We will push for maximum points,” he said.
Tunisia’s coach is equally optimistic, hoping to turn around their fortunes against a formidable Nigerian side.
As the tournament unfolds, all eyes will be on this Group B opener. The stakes are high with a ticket to the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile on the line for the top teams in the tournament.
