Besiktas star Wilfried Ndidi named Nigeria captain for AFCON 2025

Nigeria midfielder Wilfred Ndidi has reportedly been named as the new captain of the Super Eagles ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.

The West African football heavyweights were forced into a captaincy decision following the retirement of defender William Troost-Ekong.

Despite being named in the Super Eagles, the experienced defender, who plies his trade in Saudi Arabia opted to end his international football, bringing an end to a decade-long career with the national team.

Few days to the commencement of the tournament, coach Eric Chelle has settled on Ndidi, who plies his trade for Besiktas to lead the Super Eagles at the AFCON tournament.

Ndidi has already demonstrated his leadership qualities under Eric Chelle after captaining Nigeria in the recent World Cup playoff, held in Morocco.

His calm presence and experience at the international level have made him a natural choice to lead the team into the next major tournament.

The 35th edition of the continental showpiece has been scheduled to take place in Morocco from December 21 through to January 18, 2026, with 24 countries set to battle it out for the covetous trophy.

The Super Eagles will begin their AFCON 2025 campaign against Tanzania on Tuesday, 23 December, before taking on Tunisia on 27 December and rounding off the group stage against Uganda on 30 December.