Mohamed Salah with Hossam Hassan, coach of Egypt during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations AFCON Egypt Training at the Adrar Stadium, Agadir on the 04 January 2026 ©Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix
Monday Jan 05, 2026. 12:00
Heavyweights and underdogs meet in the round of 16 at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) on Tuesday as Egypt faces Benin and Nigeria clashes with Mozambique in Morocco on Monday.
Egypt and Benin will face one another in the early kick-off at the Stade Adrar in Agadir, beginning at 6pm CAT.
The Pharaohs’ made it through group B unbeaten, finishing top of the pile with 16 points.
They opened their campaign with a late 2-1 win over Zimbabwe before passing South Africa in a 1-0 win and drawing 0-0 with Angola to end the group stage.
Benin advanced to the knockout stage as one of the best third-placed teams in group play, collecting three points from two losses and one win.
The Cheetahs fell to DR Congo 1-0 in their tournament opener, then going on to beat Botswana 1-0 and lose to Senegal 3-0.
The two sides met in the group stage at the 2010 edition, with Egypt emerging as 2-0 victors.
The Pharaohs will be looking to avoid repeating past mistakes, as they were ejected in the round of 16 at the last edition, while Benin will be looking to claim a second-ever AFCON win from open play.
Nigeria and Mozambique are set to follow, kicking-off at 9pm CAT at the Fez Stadium in Fes.
Nigeria topped group C as one of only two teams at the tournament to manage a perfect record through the group stage.
The Super Eagles defeated Tanzania 1-0 to start the tournament, then beat Tunisia 3-2 and thumped Uganda 3-1 in their final group game.
Similarly to Benin, Mozambique advanced as one of the four best third-placed sides in the group stage, finishing with three points in group F.
The Mambas fell to defending champions Côte d’Ivoire 1-0 in their first game before managing a shock upset against Gabon, winning 3-2. They finished the group stage with a tough 2-1 loss to Cameroon.
The two nations have clashed five times previously with Nigeria managing four wins to go alongside one draw, including a 3-0 win in the 2010 group stage.
The Super Eagles will look to make the most of their 18th appearance in the competition’s knockout stage, while Mozambique will attempt to make the most of their first appearance in the knockout stage.