Nigeria to Equal Egypt’s Record With AFCON 2023 Semi Final Game vs South Africa

• Nigeria is set to equal an impressive AFCON record held by Egypt
• They will play Hugo Broos' South Africa in one of the 2023 semi-finals
• Egypt, the record champions, were eliminated in the round of 16

Nigeria will face South Africa in the first semi-final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations on February 7 in Bouake.

The Super Eagles have silenced doubters to turn into formidable favourites for the tournament after the shock exits of Senegal and Morocco.

Nigeria's AFCON 2023 journey

The Jose Peseiro led team began their campaign with a lacklustre draw to Equatorial Guinea before improving to see off the hosts Ivory Coast with a slender 1-0 win. They rounded off their group-stage campaign with another 1-0 win against Guinea Bissau.

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They finished second in Group A, setting up a round of 16 clash against five-time champions Cameroon. An Ademola Lookman brace dispatched the Indomitable Lions. The Atalanta forward was on target again to help his nation beat Angola in the quarter-finals.

Which CAF record has Nigeria equalled?

By qualifying for the semi-finals, Nigeria has now equalled Egypt's record as the country with the most last four appearances in the history of AFCON. As captured on CAF's website, the Pharaohs have qualified for 16 semi-finals, a fete Nigeria will equal when they walk out at Stade de la Paix on Wednesday.

Nigeria has now qualified for the semi-finals 16 times in 20 appearances, while Egypt has the same number in 26 appearances. The Ghana Black Stars have qualified for 14 semi-finals in 24 appearances.

Egypt has won seven titles, Nigeria has three, while Ghana has won the continent's big prize four times.

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Why Nigeria are AFCON 2023 favourites

Sports Brief as also reported why Nigeria are the 2023 AFCON favourites. The Super Eagles have defied all the odds to reach the last four where they will face 1996 champions South Africa.

The West Africans have one of the best defences in the tournament, which has helped them shun off opponents as Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman wreak havoc up front.