AFCON 2025: Alex Iwobi set to shatter Nigerian record as Super Eagles battle Morocco

Alex Iwobi is set to become the most-capped Nigerian midfielder in Africa Cup of Nations history when the Super Eagles face Morocco in Wednesday’s semi-final at AFCON 2025, Soccernet.ng reports. 

The Fulham midfielder is currently level with Austin Okocha, Muda Lawal and John Obi Mikel on 22 AFCON appearances, a joint record that has stood across generations of Nigerian football. If he features against Morocco, Iwobi will move clear of the trio and stand alone on 23 appearances across four tournaments.

The landmark would cast the spotlight on Iwobi’s long-standing role at the heart of the national team, having featured at AFCON 2019, 2021, 2023 and now 2025. He played seven matches at both the 2019 and 2023 editions, alongside four appearances at AFCON 2021 and four so far at this tournament.

Beyond the historic significance of the moment, Iwobi’s importance to Nigeria’s current campaign has been backed up by performance data.

According to Opta, the 27-year-old currently leads the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations for line-breaking passes, a key metric that measures how often a player progresses the ball through opposition defensive lines.

He has completed 36 line-breaking passes in the knockout stages alone, more than any other player left in the competition.

In Nigeria’s 4-0 Round of 16 win over Mozambique, Iwobi completed 22 such passes, repeatedly helping the Super Eagles advance the ball through central areas. He followed that with another 14 in the quarter-final victory against Algeria, again playing a central role in Nigeria’s control of the game.

His ability to connect midfield to attack has been a consistent feature of Nigeria’s run to the semi-finals.

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Troost-Ekong on how Iwobi and Lookman represent a new pathway

Iwobi’s impending milestone comes at a time when the identity of the Super Eagles continues to evolve, a shift recently highlighted by former Nigeria captain William Troost-Ekong.

Reflecting on how Nigerian player recruitment has changed, Troost-Ekong pointed to the growing influence of diaspora players such as Iwobi and Ademola Lookman.

“When I was growing up, we didn’t have players like that,” he tolf the Athletic.

Troost-Ekong, himself one of the early dual-nationality players to commit to Nigeria, believes Lookman’s rise has been particularly significant.

“Ademola Lookman is a boy from London who became the best player in Africa,” he said, referencing the forward’s CAF Men’s Player of the Year award in 2024. “That is probably going to open a lot more doors, and if anything, is going to help Nigeria.”

The former captain added: “You want to have the best players, no matter where they are born, to come home and represent the nation.”

Nigeria will trade tackles with hosts Morocco on Wednesday with the winner set to face either Egypt or Senegal in Sunday’s final.