Bassey, Lookman, Osimhen named in AFCON 2025 Best XI

Three Super Eagles stars have been named in the CAF Best XI at the just-concluded 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco, underlining Nigeria’s strong presence at the tournament.

Calvin Bassey, Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen all earned places in the Confederation of African Football’s Team of the Tournament, reflecting Nigeria’s influence across defence, midfield and attack.

The star-studded selection features standout performers from champions Senegal, runners-up Morocco and Nigeria following a dramatic competition in Rabat.

The AFCON 2025 Best XI was selected by CAF’s Technical Study Group after an extensive review of performances, utilising live data, video analysis, and on-site assessments to evaluate consistency, influence, and overall contribution.

Nigeria emerged as one of the most represented nations in the Best XI, behind only Senegal and Morocco.

Three-time African champions, Nigeria’s Super Eagles, finished third at AFCON 2025 after edging Egypt on penalties in the third-place playoff, having earlier suffered a narrow semi-final defeat to hosts Morocco.

Despite missing out on the final, Nigeria left the tournament with significant positives, particularly in terms of individual performances.

Osimhen played a key role in Nigeria’s bronze-medal finish, scoring four goals as the Super Eagles reached the semi-finals, where they were narrowly eliminated by the Atlas Lions on penalties.

Lookman was one of Nigeria’s standout performers, registering a tournament-high seven goal involvements, with three goals and four assists. The Atalanta forward was named Man of the Match in Nigeria’s victories over Tunisia and Mozambique.

Bassey, the energetic Fulham centre-back, was the cornerstone of the Super Eagles’ defence that kept three clean sheets en route to the semi-finals.

Anthony Nlebem

Head of Sports at BusinessDay Media, a seasoned Digital Content Producer, and FIFA/CAF Accredited Journalist with over a decade of sports reporting.Has a deep understanding of the Nigerian and global sports landscape and skills in delivering comprehensive and insightful sports content.