The Nigerian Super Eagles will face off against South Africa’s Bafana Bafana at the Stade de la Paix in Bouake, Ivory Coast, today at 6 pm (Nigerian time) in a crucial match for a spot in the African Cup of Nations final.
Nigeria’s performance in the AFCON has brought the Super Eagles within reach of the final as they strive to secure their fourth AFCON trophy.
The Super Eagles continued their winning streak on Friday, February 2, defeating Angola without conceding any goals.
The victory marked their fourth consecutive clean sheet as they advanced to the last four.
They aim to maintain their strong defensive record as they prepare to face Hugo Broos’ team today.
The semi-final match is the 14th encounter between the two teams at the international level.
In the past 14 matches, Nigeria has emerged victorious in seven of them, while South Africa has won two. The remaining five matches ended in draws.
PUNCH Online in this report highlights the head-to-head record between Nigeria and South Africa:
October 10, 1992: Nigeria 4 South Africa 0 (1994 WCq, Lagos)
January 16, 1993: South Africa 0 Nigeria 0 (1994 WCq, Johannesburg)
February 10, 2000: Nigeria 2 South Africa 0 (AFCON semi-final, Lagos)
January 31, 2004: Nigeria 4 South Africa 0 (AFCON finals, Monastir, Tunisia)
November 17, 2004: South Africa 2 Nigeria 1 (International Friendly, Durban)
June 1, 2008: Nigeria 2 South Africa 0 (2010 FIFA WCq, Abuja)
September 6, 2008: South Africa 0 Nigeria 1 (2010 FIFA WCq, Port Elizabeth)
August 14, 2013: South Africa 0 Nigeria 2 (International Friendly, Johannesburg)
September 10, 2014: South Africa 0 Nigeria 0 (2015 AFCON qualifier, Johannesburg)
November 19, 2014: Nigeria 2 South Africa 2 (2015 AFCON qualifier, Uyo)
March 29, 2015: South Africa 1 Nigeria 1 (International Friendly, Durban)
June 10, 2017: Nigeria 0 South Africa 2 (2019 AFCON qualifier, Uyo)
November 17, 2018: South Africa 1 Nigeria 1 (2019 AFCON qualifier, Johannesburg)
July 10, 2019: Nigeria 2 South Africa 1 (2019 AFCON q-final, Cairo)
As reported by the Olympics, the following are the countries’ records.
AFCON
Nigeria has won the AFCON championship three times, placed second four times, and finished third eight times.
South Africa has won the AFCON only once. They placed second once and third once.
FIFA World Cup
Nigeria has yet to secure a victory in the FIFA World Cup tournament. They had notable success in 1994, 1998, and 2014, making it to the Round of 16.
South Africa’s Bafana Bafana has participated in the FIFA World Cup three times but were unable to advance past the group stage on each occasion.
Both sides are currently going through qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Olympic Games
Nigeria won silver in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and gold in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games in football. They took home the bronze and placed third at Rio 2016.
South Africa has yet to win a medal for football at an Olympic Games.
Both teams have not secured a spot in Paris 2024.
