By Kunle Solaja
When Nigeria’s Super Eagles touch down in Fés this Thursday aboard a chartered flight, they will be stepping into history, becoming only the second Nigerian football team to feature in a competitive match in Morocco’s oldest imperial city.
A UNESCO World Heritage site renowned for its scholarly legacy and rich traditions, Fés last hosted a Nigerian team more than four decades ago.
On September 9, 1984, Shooting Stars of Ibadan made history there during an African club competition, holding Maghreb de Fés (MAS Fés) to a stunning 1–1 draw. The Ibadan side went on to complete the quarter-final triumph two weeks later with a commanding 4–1 victory at home.
Shooting Stars beat Maghreb de Fés (MAS Fés) 5-2 on aggregate 41 years ago
That memorable outing now serves as a historical echo as the Super Eagles prepare for their own chapter in Fés, where they will face Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda in Group C of the Africa Cup of Nations.
Nigeria’s quest for a fourth continental title — following previous triumphs in 1980, 1994 and 2013 — has been branded “NAIJA 4 THE WIN.”
The campaign gets underway on Tuesday, December 23, with a clash against Tanzania’s Taifa Stars, a fixture that revisits history as it mirrors the opening match of the 1980 AFCON finals hosted and won by Nigeria.
The Super Eagles will next take on Tunisia, hosts and champions of the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations, on Saturday, December 27, before rounding off their group-stage fixtures against Uganda’s Cranes on Tuesday, December 30.
All of Nigeria’s Group C matches will be played at the Complexe Sportif de Fés, reinforcing the team’s strong base in the historic city.
Elsewhere, Africa’s most decorated team, Egypt, face a different challenge in Group B. The Pharaohs — the only nation to have won the Africa Cup of Nations three times in a row between 2006 and 2010 — will battle 1996 hosts and champions South Africa, alongside Angola and Zimbabwe.
Their group matches will be staged at the Stade d’Agadir in the coastal city of Agadir.
As the Super Eagles settle into Fés, history, ambition and opportunity converge, with Nigeria hoping that echoes of past success in the ancient city will inspire another memorable continental campaign.
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