Nigeria vs. Gabon live score: CAF World Cup qualifying playoff updates, highlights, result as Super Eagles bid for final spot

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• Live updates, highlights and commentary from Nigeria vs. Gabon
• What time does the match kick off?
• Team news and lineups
• Where to watch where you are

Nigeria face Gabon today in the semifinals of the CAF World Cup qualification playoff round.

The Super Eagles somehow kept their dreams alive of reaching next year's finals by thrashing Benin in a decisive game back in October. They must now attempt to defeat Thierry Mouyouma's side to progress to a final on Sunday against either Cameroon or DR Congo.

Only the winners of this month's mini-tournament will secure their place in the inter-continental playoffs next March and compete for one of two spots in the World Cup group stage.

All matches are being staged in Morocco, giving this the feel of a condensed Africa Cup of Nations, with Africa's premier competition taking place in the country in December.

Nigeria vs. Gabon live score

Venue: Moulay Hassan Stadium (Rabat, Morocco)
Referee: Tom Abongile (South Africa)

Starting lineups:

Nigeria (4-4-2, right to left):  Nwabali (GK) — Osayi-Samuel, Fredrick, Bassey, Sanusi — Chukwueze, Iwobi, Ndidi, Lookman — Adams, Osimhen

Gabon (4-3-3, right to left): Mbaba (GK) — Ondele, Oyono, Ecuele, Ekoumie — Openda, Lemina, Ndong — Aubameyang, Biyogo, Bouanga

Nigeria vs. Gabon updates, highlights and commentary

Halftime

Nothing to split the sides at the break.

45+6 mins: Into the sixth minute of added time, and 36-year-old Aubameyang has just engaged in a foot race with Fredrick, a defender 16 years his junior. It was pretty close, too; Fredrick eventually makes a good block to stop the striker getting a shot on target.

44 mins: Openda with a chance! Nigeria make a bit of a mess of halting a Gabon break, and the ball falls to Openda in the area. He turns back onto his left foot to create space for the shot, but it's a tame effort, easily saved by Nwabali.

37 mins: Chance wasted on the break there by Gabon. After defending a corner, they launched a 4-on-4 counter, with Aubameyang playing Bouanga into the box. The LAFC man chose to shoot from a difficult angle rather than pull the ball back across, and his effort was blocked.

32 mins: Royce Openda looks lively down the Gabon right. He wins their first corner with his latest positive run, but Nigeria scramble the delivery clear.

28 mins: Somehow, Gabon survive! Ademola Lookman's cross is headed down by Osimhen, two Gabon defenders get in a complete muddle, and Mbaba has to spring to his right to stop the ball crossing the line. Referee Tom Abongile then seems to point to the centre-circle before clarifying that, no, the ball did not cross the line. Crazy.

23 mins: Another chance for Osimhen! The ball is slipped through to the Galatasaray striker, but he's off balance as he tries a shot, and he slices the effort well wide while stumbling. Gabon can't keep giving him opportunities like that.

21 mins: BRILLIANT SAVE! Osimhen with another header, this time under pressure around six yards from goal, but Mbaba gets down to his right and claws the ball away. Excellent stop. Nigeria are on top here, though.

17 mins: OSIMHEN! Big, big chance for Nigeria! Akor Adams floats in a cross from the left, Loyce Mbaba comes and gets nowhere near it, but Osimhen can't hit the target with a header from 12 yards! He then gets clattered by the goalkeeper for his trouble and requires some treatment. Sensibly, he is wearing his face mask again today.

13 mins: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's first involvement ends in a looping cross that Nwabali catches well. He then kicks it straight to Anthony Oyono, who tries to chip the keeper from halfway and misses by... Well, a lot.

9 mins: It's been (unsurprisingly) a fairly cagey start. LAFC's Denis Bouanga has looked bright early on, but Stanley Nwabali's goal has not been threatened yet.

Kickoff: First half

Here we go!

15 mins before kickoff: It's not exactly a packed house here in Rabat in this pouring rain, but the fans who have made the trip are making a good amount of noise. It's almost time for kickoff...

1 hour before kickoff: The team news is in! Eric Chelle makes two changes from the Benin game last month: in come Bright Osayi-Samuel and Ademola Lookman, with Semi Ajayi and Moses Simon making way.

1 hour 30 mins before kickoff: The importance of this game can't be ignored, and yet Nigeria's players caused a storm earlier in the week when they went on strike over a dispute with the country's football federation relating to bonus payments. However, captain William Troost-Ekong announced via X on Wednesday that the issue was "resolved". Still, not a great way to prepare for a fixture of this magnitude.

Issue RESOLVED. Outstanding financials cleared and on ground. Team is UNITED and focussed as before on representing NIGERIA with our maximum for the games ahead! 🇳🇬 @NGSuperEagles

— William Troost-Ekong (M.O.N) (@WTroostEkong) November 12, 2025

2 hours before kickoff: Somehow, Nigeria are still alive in the race to reach the World Cup. Only the victors today will stay in the hunt for the finals. It's all to play for.

Nigeria vs. Gabon kick off time

This CAF World Cup qualifying playoff semifinal takes place at the Moulay Hassan Stadium in Rabat, Morocco and kicks off on Thursday, November 13 at 5 p.m. Local time.

Here's how that time translates across some of the major territories:

Nigeria vs. Gabon lineups, team news

Moses Simon and Samuel Chukwueze provided plenty of opportunities for hat-trick hero Victor Osimhen last time out, but Simon makes way this time for Ademola Lookman.

There is also a change in defence, with Semi Ajayi dropping out and Bright Osayi-Samuel coming in, which likely means Benjamin Fredrick moving to centre-back.

Nigeria (4-4-2, right to left):  Nwabali (GK) — Osayi-Samuel, Fredrick, Bassey, Sanusi — Chukwueze, Iwobi, Ndidi, Lookman — Adams, Osimhen

Nigeria subs: Okoye, Troost-Ekong, Ejuke, Onyeka, Arokodare, Onyemaechi, Abdullahi, Simon, Obasogie, Nwadike, Awaziem, Olusegun

Gabon are missing a handful of key players, including Jim Allevinah, Shavy Babicka, Medwin Biteghe, Michel Mboula, and Junior Noubi Fotso.

Much like Nigeria and Osimhen, their hopes will largely rest on the shoulders of their most famous star forward: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the Marseille striker, who has four goals in 10 Ligue 1 games this season.

Gabon (4-3-3, right to left): Mbaba (GK) — Ondele, Oyono, Ecuele, Ekoumie — Openda, Lemina, Ndong — Aubameyang, Biyogo, Bouanga

Gabon subs: Mounguenou, Bekale, Moucketou-Moussounda, Obiang, J. Do Marcolino, J. Oyono, N. Lemina, Nze Bagnama, A. Do Marcolino, Essang-Matouti, Averlant, Meyo

Nigeria vs. Gabon live stream, TV channel

Here is how to watch the match in some of the world's major regions: