Wednesday, January 14, is a blockbuster day, with matches lined up in the football world, spots in two different finals will be confirmed. One of the tournaments is the ongoing African Cup of Nations (AFCON) between Nigeria’s Super Eagles and Morocco’s Atlas Lions, and the winner of the other match between Chelsea and Arsenal gets a spot in the Carabao Cup final.
2025 AFCON semi-final stage
The ongoing AFCON has been captivating. It has seen 20 out of 24 participating countries bid goodbye to the tournament, leaving the last four teams, Senegal, Egypt, Morocco, and Nigeria.
The AFCON has seen some emotional breakdown moments from the players, coaches, and spectators, one of which that captivated netizens was the breakdown of Michel Nkuka Mboladinga, the Congolese fan who stood motionless throughout all his country’s matches, inspired by his home country’s former prime minister, Patrice Lumumba.
See video of the Congolese man standing like Patrice Lumumba below:
View this post on Instagram
The first semi-final to be played is between two African titans, Mo Salah’s Egypt and Sadio Mane’s Senegal. The match is highly anticipated as it is set to be another reunion between the two teams’ skippers, who were both teammates at Liverpool FC.
Senegal has had a solid start to the tournament, yet to lose a match, won four out of five, the only match not won was a group stage draw with DR Congo. The main question is, can Senegal defeat Egypt and make it to the final?
Egypt has been a very tough team to play against in the 2026 AFCON tournament. They eliminated the defending champion, Cote d’Ivoire, in the quarter-finals.
Watch the highlight quarter-final qualification match of Nigeria vs Algeria below:
View this post on Instagram
Everyone expects Senegal to dominate possession, while Egypt will try to hit them with fast counter-attacks
The second semi-final, between the host nation, Morocco, and the current best team in the tournament, the Super Eagles of Nigeria, judging by their winning streak. Morocco is expected to play Nigeria by 9pm on Wednesday, January 14. The host nation is eager to win and go to the final in their quest for their second continental glory.
Morocco has been good defensively in the tournament. The only country to have done better has been knocked out of the tournament by the Rabat Lions’ opponent, Nigeria. Morocco’s fire-powered upfront has been from Brahim Diaz, who has scored five goals in five games. The only player with the same goals per game is Egypt’s Mo Salah, who has four in four.
While Morocco has been notable for their defensive record, Nigeria is known for its offensive record with 14 goals in five matches, the most by any nation so far. A notable Super Eagles player who has made that possible is Alex Iwobi, who has been pulling the strings from midfield. He is currently the player with the most line-breaking passes in the tournament, and those passes were put to good use by the trio upfront of Adams, Osimhen, and Ademola Lookman, who is the most rated player so far in the tournament with seven-goal contributions, only one over Victor Osimhen with six. Will Morocco’s resilient defense come out on top, or Nigeria’s persistent attack?
Chelsea takes on Arsenal
In other places across the globe, a London derby is to be played between Chelsea and Arsenal to decide who gets a spot in the Carabao Cup final. This will be Chelsea’s newly elected coach’s first big test with his first home match, a first-leg tie for the Premier League toppers, Arsenal.
View this post on Instagram
The Gunners also had a big test playing Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, where they failed to win against The Blues, who played most of the match with 10 men. Any team that wins would take an advantage in the second leg.
