Nigerian captain William Troost-Ekong says lifting the Africa Cup of Nations trophy would be an “amazing” moment for him and the country.
The Super Eagles beat South Africa on penalties to reach Sunday’s final in Abidjan, where they will face tournament hosts Ivory Coast (20:00 GMT).
Nigeria have reached their first final since 2013, when the West Africans won their third continental title.
“You dream about moments like that,” centre-back Troost-Ekong told BBC Sport Africa.
“I’ve seen it so many times. And I’ve closed my eyes. To actually be there on Sunday and have the chance to do that will be amazing.”
Nigeria were not among the leading contenders for the trophy before the finals, given their lacklustre showing in their opening two qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup and their position as the sixth-best team in Africa according to Fifa’s world rankings.
However, the Super Eagles have been the top-ranked side at the tournament since the end of the last 16, where holders Senegal, Morocco, and record seven-time champions Egypt all exited.
Nigeria manager Jose Peseiro says he has always had faith in his side, who were the top scorers in qualifying for the finals with 22 goals.
“When I signed the contract, I said I wanted to win the Afcon,” the Portuguese told BBC Sport Africa.
“Either way, I don’t know if everybody believed or not. I have believed since the first moment.
“We haven’t won anything until now; we want to win the Afcon.”
Bassey hails Nigeria character after ‘crazy’ finish
Victor Osimhen thought he had sealed victory for Nigeria with a late goal – but the goal was chalked off and South Africa were awarded a penalty instead
Nigeria had looked like they would close out a victory against South Africa within 90 minutes on Wednesday, with Troost-Ekong’s penalty putting them ahead in the 67th minute.
Victor Osimhen thought he had made it 2-0 with five minutes to go, but in a major twist, Bafana Bafana were awarded a penalty for a foul in the build-up to that goal following a Video Assistant Referee review, allowing Teboho Mokoena to equalise.
“It’s good VAR because it was a penalty against us,” Peseiro conceded.
“But for us, for our minds, it was not good because we were winning 2-0 and then we were drawing 1-1.”
Khuliso Mudau almost won it for South Africa in second-half added time before a nervy 30 minutes of extra time and Nigeria’s eventual 4-2 triumph on penalties.
“This was a hard one. I think we showed real character,” defender Calvin Bassey told BBC Sport Africa.
“It just shows we could do the dirty work. We just had to keep believing in ourselves.
“[South Africa were] a well-organised team, a quality team. To outdo them on penalties, it’s crazy.
“Kudos to all the boys that stood up and took [a penalty]. It’s not easy to go out there with the pressure, and they kept calm.”
Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali was the hero in the shootout for the Super Eagles, denying Mokoena and Evidence Makgopa before Kelechi Iheanacho netted to clinch victory.
“Seeing myself win the man of the match (award) and also go to the final is a dream come true to me,” Nwabali, who plays his club football in South Africa, said.
“Credit to my coaches, because when it’s penalty time, they guide me a lot.”
South Africa ‘don’t get support’ back home
After defeat on penalties, South Africa was left to reflect on a missed opportunity to add to their sole continental triumph on home soil in 1996.
Bafana Bafana were runners-up two years later and finished third in 2000, but Wednesday’s meeting with Nigeria was their first appearance in the semi-finals in 24 years.
“We’ve fought from the start of the tournament,” defender Aubrey Modiba told BBC Sport Africa.
“We managed to equalise and take it to extra time, even though towards the end we could have taken our chances that we created.
“Even though we’re a bit disappointed, penalties are a lottery. It wasn’t meant to be and you cannot have any regrets.
“Hopefully we can learn from this tournament and continue qualifying for these tournaments. The experience, the exposure, the way everything is done here is a good thing for South African football.”
South Africa, who had failed to qualify for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, reached the semi-finals of the tournament for the first time since 2000
Modiba plays for Pretoria-based Mamelodi Sundowns, the winners of the inaugural African Football League and a club which has provided the core of the South Africa squad.
The 28-year-old now hopes that Bafana Bafana’s performances in Ivory Coast, which included a last-16 win over Morocco, will boost belief in the squad’s capabilities back home.
“People outside of South Africa believe in us because they’ve been watching our games, but back home we don’t get the same support – which is something that we are used to now,” he said.
“That’s why we push and we fight, because we know they (the South African public) don’t really believe in us.
“But we’ve got ourselves and people will notice everywhere around the world because they watch the games. I still believe in this team and I think something good is coming out of this team.”
South Africa will now face DR Congo in the third-place play-off on Saturday, also in Abidjan