CAN 2025 / Nigeria - Tunisia: head-to-head history | OneFootball

Nigeria vs Tunisia is never just another fixture: it's another chapter in a rivalry that is long, tense, and sometimes cruel. On the eve of their showdown on December 27, 2025, in Morocco, the numbers tell the story of a balanced duel—21 encounters, 7 Tunisian wins, 6 Nigerian victories, and 8 draws—but the history reveals much more. It speaks of mental battles, extra time dramas, walk-offs, and penalty shootouts that have shattered nations.

The Africa Cup of Nations has often been the stage for their greatest dramas. In 2004, a 1–1 draw stretched into extra time before Tunisia sent an entire nation into raptures with a penalty shootout win; in 2006, it was the same scenario, but this time Nigeria had their revenge, winning 6–5 on penalties. And who could forget 1978, when Tunisia walked off the pitch, handing Nigeria a podium finish by default? Or 2021, when the Carthage Eagles, written off by many, toppled the unbeaten Super Eagles: “They thought we were finished... but we weren't there just to watch,” recalled a veteran Tunisian player.

Even today, logic seems to vanish. Nigeria may arrive with a fearsome squad, but everyone knows that "Tunisia never dies"—a phrase that's echoed in locker rooms since 2004. And what if history is ready to repeat itself once more?