Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle is determined to start Nigeria’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a win against Tanzania, emphasising the importance of the opening match as a foundation for the tournament, Afrosport reports.
The West African giants head to Morocco having finished as runners-up in the previous tournament in Ivory Coast and will be expected to go the distance once again.
The tournament will be a big test for Chelle, who replaced ex-Nigeria international Finidi George, and acknowledged the task at hand.
“This is a big game because it is the first game, and the first game is very important. For sure, we want to win this game,” he said.
“The most important thing is to stay focused on us because the first opponent is us. I don’t have the time to think about what happened before. The most important thing is the next game.”
Eric Chelle declares readiness for #NGATAN pic.twitter.com/zETzsv5tJg
— 🇳🇬 Super Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) December 22, 2025
Nigeria kicks off their Group C campaign against Tanzania on Tuesday, followed by Tunisia and Uganda later in the day.
