Super Eagles End Protest, Travel to Marrakesh for AFCON Quarter-final Tie

The Super Eagles of Nigeria have landed in Marrakesh, Morocco, for their quarter-final match of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). 

On Wednesday, the players and officials of the Eagles threatened to boycott the trip to the host city of their quarter-final match at the AFCON due to unpaid allowances.

Nigeria will face Algeria in the quarter-final on Saturday in Marrakesh, another city five hours away from Fez, their previous base. The team was scheduled to travel from Fez to Marrakesh on Thursday.

The protest forced the federal government to fast-track the payment of the match bonuses for the Eagles’ four previous matches at the 2025 AFCON.

Doris Uzoka-Anite, the minister of state finance, said the payment was delayed by the “conversion process to move funds into foreign currency” which was the “players’ preferences”.

She added that the final transfers of the fund into the players’ domiciliary accounts will be reflected in a few days.

The intervention seemed sufficient for the team, and the players have made the journey to the host city of their game against Algeria.

The quarter-final match will be a clash between the Eagles, the best attack in the competition with 12 goals, and Algeria, the best defence with just one goal conceded in four games.

The last time Nigeria played Algeria at the AFCON was in 2019. A Riyad Mahrez late freekick sent the Foxes into the final, and they eventually won the competition.

The winner of the match will face either Morocco or Cameroon in the semi-final.