The Nigeria "UK Tourists" national team prior to their tour of theUK in 1949. The team were known among the West African nations at the time as the "Red Devils" due to their red shirts.
Nigeria first played other colonies in unofficial games, initially in 1938 when they played theGold Coast with a team of Lagos-based players.[4] Nigeria formed a representative national team to send abroad for a tour of England, arriving in Liverpool on 29 August 1949, and playing matches against amateur sides includingMarine A.F.C. (which drew 6,000 spectators, a record theirRossett Park ground[5]),Bishop Auckland,Leytonstone,Dulwich Hamlet andBromley.[6] Nigeria then played its first official game in October 1949, while still aBritish colony.[citation needed]
The team withdrew from two African Cup of Nations between 1963 and 1974, due to political instability and in 1996. In 1976, they came back to the Cup of Nations with third-place finishes in both the1976 and1978 African Cup of Nations.
Nigeria appeared again in the African Cup of Nations in 1992 and 1994, they finished third in 1992 and won the1994 Africa Cup of Nations, which was the second time they won the tournament.
Countries qualified for the 1994 FIFA World Cup are shown in dark greenClemens Westerhof managed the team from 1989 through the 1994 World Cup.
Nigeria finally reached theWorld Cup for the first time in1994 after years of struggling to get there. They were managed byClemens Westerhof. Nigeria topped their group which includedArgentina,Bulgaria, andGreece. Nigeria defeatedBulgaria 3–0, lost toArgentina 1–2, and reached the second round after a 2–0 victory overGreece. In the second round, Nigeria playedItaly and took the lead with a goal fromEmmanuel Amunike in the 25th minute. Nigeria was within two minutes of qualifying for the quarter-finals, whenRoberto Baggio scored to take the game to extra time. He also scored the eventual winning goal. The game ended 2–1 in favour of the Italians. In 1996 the team withdrew from that year's African Cup of Nations under pressure from the country's military dictatorSani Abacha due to the criticism received from the tournament hosts South Africa and especially its presidentNelson Mandela, for the execution of Ogoni activistKen Saro-Wiwa. Nigeria was subsequently banned from entering the 1998 African Cup of Nations.
In1998, Nigeria returned to the World Cup alongsideCameroon,Morocco,Tunisia, andSouth Africa. Optimism was high due to its managerBora Milutinović and the return of most 1994 squad members. In the final tournament Nigeria were drawn into group D withSpain,Bulgaria,Paraguay. Nigeria scored a major upset by defeating Spain 3–2 after coming back twice from being 1–0 and 2–1 down. The Eagles qualified for the second round with a win against Bulgaria and a loss to Paraguay. The team's hopes of surpassing its 1994 performance were shattered after a 1–4 loss toDenmark. This is currently the only World Cup that Nigeria qualified for without playing Argentina in the tournament finals.
In 2000 they returned to the Cup of Nations and were the runner-up and subsequently finished in third place at the 2002, 2004 and 2006Africa Cup of Nations.
The2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan saw Nigeria again qualify with optimism. With a new squad and distinctive pastel green kits, the Super Eagles were expected to build on its strong performances in the2000 and2002 African Cup of Nations. Nigeria was drawn into group F with powerhousesSweden,Argentina, andEngland. The first game against Argentina started with a strong defense that kept the first half scoreless. In the 61st minute,Gabriel Batistuta breached the Nigerian defense to put Argentina in the lead 1–0, and Argentina would go on to win the game. Nigeria's second game against Sweden saw them take the lead but later lose 2–1. Nigeria then drew 0–0 with England and bowed out in the first round.
Nigeria failed to qualify for the2006 World Cup after finishing level on points in the qualification group withAngola, but having an inferior record in the matches between the sides.[11]
Nigeria played against South Korea at the 2010 FIFA World Cup
Nigeria lost its opening match againstArgentina 1–0 atEllis Park Stadium following a controversialGabriel Heinze header in the 6th minute.[13][14] In its second game Nigeria led early on by a goal fromKalu Uche. A red card againstSani Kaita gaveGreece the advantage. Greece scored the equaliser late in the first half and Nigeria conceded the second goal in the second half and lost the game 2–1. In their last group stage match againstSouth Korea, Nigeria took an early lead in the 12th minute off of a great finish byKalu Uche after a low cross fromChidi Odiah.However, goals fromLee Jung-Soo andPark Chu-Young gave South Korea a 2–1 lead, which looked to be enough forSouth Korea to advance into the round of 16. However, Nigeria got a chance in the 66th minute, on the end of a pass fromAyila Yussuf that was fed through the South Korean defense was none other thanYakubu, once the pass found Yakubu's foot about four yards away from the empty goal, Yakubu pushed the ball wide of the left post to leave South Korea still ahead 2–1. Three minutes later, Yakubu was able to calmly finish a penalty to knot the score at two apiece, but Nigeria was unable to score again and the match ended in a 2–2 draw. With this result, Nigeria was eliminated from the2010 World Cup with just one point, while South Korea advanced into the round of 16 with four points. On 30 June 2010, following the team's early exit and poor showing, the thenPresident of Nigeria,Goodluck Jonathan suspended the national football team from international competition for two years.[15] This suspension put the team at risk of being banned from international football byFIFA for reasons of political interference.[16]
On 5 July 2010, the Nigerian government rescinded its ban of the national football team from FIFA/CAF football competitions,[17] but the sanction of suspension was applied by FIFA some three months after.[18] On 4 October 2010, Nigeria was indefinitely banned from international football due to government interference following the 2010 World Cup.[18] Four days later, however, the ban was "provisionally lifted" until 26 October, the day after the officially unrecognised players' union – National Association of Nigerian Footballers (NANF) dropped its court case against the NFF.[19]
Nigeria failed to qualify for the2012 Africa Cup of Nations after ending the qualifiers with a 2–2 draw againstGuinea with goals fromIkechukwu Uche andVictor Obinna,[20] but were successful in their2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign, qualifying for the final tournament in South Africa after an 8–3 aggregate win overLiberia;[21] after playing through the tournament with an unbeaten run, they defeatedBurkina Faso 1–0 in thefinal to lift the Cup for the third time.[22] However, they did not qualify for either of the next two tournaments.[23]
Nigeria's campaign in the2014 FIFA World Cup opened with a disappointing 0–0 draw againstIran. Four days later the team played their second game againstBosnia and Herzegovina. A controversial 29th-minutePeter Odemwingie goal gave Nigeria their first World Cup match win since 1998. They facedArgentina another four days later: a 3rd minuteLionel Messi goal for the opposition was followed almost instantly with an equalizer byAhmed Musa. Messi gave Argentina the lead back just before half-time. In the second half, Musa leveled the game out again,Lionel Messi was substituted and handed over his captaincy toMarcos Rojo only forRojo to put Argentina 3–2 ahead minutes later.
Nigeria lost the match, but still qualified for the round of 16. In the Round of 16, Nigeria facedFrance, an 18th-minute stabbed shot fromEmmanuel Emenike saw the ball in the net, past the French goal-keeper but the goal was ruled off-side by the linesman. Nigeria held them off until the 79th minute when a cross and aPaul Pogba header gifted France the lead. An accidental own goal by Super Eagles CaptainJoseph Yobo in injury time put the result beyond any doubt: Nigeria was out. This is the third time Nigeria is eliminated in the round of 16 and they were not still able to enter the Quarter-finals in theFIFA World Cup.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria became the first African team to qualify for the2018 FIFA World Cup after beatingZambia 1–0 inUyo.[27][28][29] On 3 June 2018, coachGernot Rohr unveiled a 23-man squad for the2018 FIFA World Cup.[30] Nigeria lost their first match of the tournament 0–2 toCroatia inKaliningrad,[31] before they won 2–0 in the second match against a braveIceland,[32] withAhmed Musa scoring both goals.[33] Nigeria had a huge chance to qualify to the next round asArgentina was demolished 3–0 by Croatia. Despite this advantage, they lost 2–1 in their last group stage match against Argentina,[34] with one goal byVictor Moses.[35] For this defeat, and followed with Iceland's defeat to Croatia, Nigeria missed the opportunity to advance to the round of 16 and got eliminated from the tournament.[36]
The Super Eagles started their campaign at the2019 AFCON by defeatingBurundi 1–0 in group B opening match. They went on to defeatGuinea and lost 2–0 toMadagascar in their final group stage match. The round of 16 saw the national football team of Nigeria defeatingCameroon 3–2 with goals coming fromJude Ighalo andIwobi, they later went on to confrontSouth Africa in the quarter-finals of the tournament. An 89th-minute header fromTroost-Ekong gave Nigeria the lead overSouth Africa and the match ended 2–1 in favour of Nigeria. Nigeria facedAlgeria in the semi-finals and were knocked out of the tournament after a 95th-minute free kick fromRiyad Mahrez gave Algeria the lead. The Super Eagles later facedTunisia in a third place match which they won 1–0 with the only goal coming fromIghalo which made him the top scorer of the tournament.
Cyriel Dessers played his first game for the national football team of Nigeria in 2020.
On 18 July 2019, theConfederation of African Football (CAF) released the draw for the2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification. The Super Eagles were grouped ingroup L alongsideLesotho,Benin, andSierra Leone. Nigeria started out by defeatingBenin 2–1 atUyo in their first group match and later went on to beatLesotho 4–2 in an away match. In March 2020, as a result of theCOVID-19 pandemic, the CAF postponed all AFCON qualifiers indefinitely.[37] Subsequently, on 30 June 2020, CAF rescheduled the 2021 African Cup of Nations to 2022, to take place from 9 January to 6 February 2022.[38] The qualifiers resumed on 9 November 2020.[39][40]
The 2021 AFCON started on 9 January 2022, and Nigeria was the only team in the tournament to win all three group stage matches after defeating Egypt 1–0, Sudan 3–1, and Guinea-Bissau 2–0.[41] However, Nigeria lost 1–0 in the round of 16 to Tunisia on 23 January.[42]
Nigeria failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 16 years, losing to Ghana on theaway goals rule after drawing 0–0 in Ghana and 1–1 in Nigeria.[43][44]
The Super Eagles started their campaign at the2023 AFCON by drawing 1–1 toEquatorial Guinea in their opening group A match. They went on to defeat hostsIvory Coast 1–0 and defeatedGuinea Bissau in the same scoreline. The round of 16 saw the national football team of Nigeria defeatingCameroon 2–0 with a brace fromAdemola Lookman, they later went on to defeatAngola in the quarter-finals of the tournament thanks to a first half strike fromLookman. Nigeria facedSouth Africa in the semi-finals. SubstituteKelechi Iheanacho scored to give Nigeria a 4–2 penalty shootout victory overSouth Africa. The match finished 1–1 after extra time. In the final, Super Eagles finished as runners-up, losing 2–1 to hostsIvory Coast.[45]
The Nigeria national team has traditionally used a mostly-solid green on greenprimary set with white numbering, lettering, and highlights; coupled with all-white reversedsecondary kits, all emblematic of the colours of the Nigerian flag. The shade of green has varied over the years. An olive drab-tinged,forest green was frequently favoured during the 1980s to the early 1990s, and jade has appeared in each of those decades as well; even harlequin has been used. Over the last decade, the team has appeared to settle on the more standardoffice green which most closely resembles the shade used on the flag. Nigeria's first national teams used a solid scarlet top over white shorts and socks until the country adopted its current colours after its independence.[46]
On 23 April 2015,Nike was announced to be the supplier of Nigeria's kits afterAdidas ended their kit contract with theNFF.[47][48] Before that, Nike supplied Nigeria's kit between 1994 and 2003.[49] The kit Nike designed for Nigeria to wear at the 2018 World Cup went on to become one of the most popular international kits for collectors.[50]
The new deal is reported to be worth significantly more than the previous US$3.75 million contract.
Nigeria's national team image has evolved throughout its history. Before independence, they were nicknamed the "Red Devils" due to their red-topped kits.[57] After independence, the name was changed to the "Green Eagles", referencing the national flag and the eagle from the coat of arms. Though still known as the Green Eagles at the 1988 Africa Cup of Nations, the name "Super Eagles" was officially adopted at a post-tournament reception.[58][59]
Today, only the senior men's national team uses the "Super Eagles" nickname. The women's team is known as the "Super Falcons", while the male youth teams are the "Flying Eagles" (U-20) and the "Golden Eaglets" (U-17).
The Nigerian football federation currently has an active deal with the parent company ofAIT and Ray Power Radio.[60] Internationally, Nigeria's qualifiers and African Cup matches are regularly broadcast abroad by the multi-platform international sports network,beIN Sports and South African broadcasterSuperSport.[61] Nigeria's international friendlies are regularly scheduled in the UK through independent organisers are marketed to the country's large population of Nigerianexpatriates.
Though the club is most notable at Nigeria's home matches wearing green-themed embroidered outfits specific to the club along with wigs, hats and large sunglasses while dancing, singing, playing drums and trumpets, as well as carrying pom poms, culturally significant objects, inflatable beachballs, and waving flags; they have also shown a presence travelling abroad to support Nigeria in away matches.[62][63] However, the club's efforts at improving the atmosphere at Nigeria's home and away matches are beset by funding issues, corruption and infighting.[64] The club's current head, Rafiu Ladipo, has drawn criticism from its membership and is under pressure to defer the leadership to one of his deputies.[65]
A regular sight at Nigerian home matches is also their brass and percussion band, whose rendition of well-knownHighlife songs provides Nigerian home matches with a unique feel. In Nigeria, these performers are occasionally conspicuous with their military uniforms or they may be members of the Football Supporters Club.[66] A popular chant among supporters from all over the country, after a goal scored, is "Oshe Baba!", which means "Thank you father!" inYoruba.
Many important matches have been played against various nations who have been occasional rivals. Of these nations,Ghana is widely considered Nigeria's primary rival as the two sides have met one another more than any other opponent, as well as being two of the most successful national teams in Africa. Nigeria has enjoyed periods of success. The most notable of these periods are the early contests during the 1950s, and matches that took place in the early 2000s.
FIFA lists the first official match between the two as aWorld Cup qualifier match in 1960. However both national teams had already engaged in competitive matches dating back to 1950.[67] The national teams of these two West African countries were formed during the time in which both remained protectorates of theBritish Empire. At that time the modern-day nation of Ghana was known as theGold Coast.Nigeria, prior to adopting the national colours of green and white, wore scarlet tops over white shorts and were known as the "Red Devils".[46] The two sides played for several rivalry and tournament cups during this period in which full international competition was barred to them. The encounter between these two teams is commonly known as theJollof Derby.[68]
Nigeria's neighbours to the east,Cameroon, have also played Nigeria a number of times over the years. The teams have met three times in the final of theAfrican Cup of Nations with Cameroon winning each time.[69] Both carry histories of continental success and World Cup representation that is nearly unrivaled on the African continent.
Their rivalry began in 1960 and since then, Nigeria has proved to be a more dominating team, but in all three AFCON Final matches in 1984, 1988 and 2000, Cameroon prevailed over Nigeria.
Nigeria has qualified for six FIFA World Cup finals, advancing from the group stage three times (1994, 1998 and 2014), getting knocked out in the round of 16 all three times, while Cameroon has qualified eight times, advancing from the group stage only once (1990) though they made it to the quarter-finals in that edition.
There is also a number of competitive matches withAlgeria dating back to the 1970s. The two sides met twice in the African Cup of Nations finals, with each nation splitting the win totals. It was a 1–1 draw in Algeria on 8 October 1993 that enabled Nigeria to claim its first World Cup berth in the 1994 edition of the tournament. Nigeria since then had an undefeated streak against Algeria, until the semi-finals of the2019 Africa Cup of Nations when Algeria prevailed over Nigeria.
Nigeria's western neighbour,Benin, has played competitive matches with the team since the period of European colonisation when they were known asDahomey. But with only two wins and two draws to Benin's credit against Nigeria's fourteen wins, and with the sides having only met six times since 1980, Benin remains a lightly regarded opponent.
In five of its six World Cup appearances, Nigeria was drawn in the group stage with three-time championArgentina and is regarded by many fans as having fairly acquitted themselves against the footballing giant.[70] The fixture is the most common in the competition's history involving an African nation.[71] All five matches have been won by Argentina, but all were by a one-goal margin (2–1 in 1994,1–0 in 2002,1–0 in 2010,3–2 in 2014 and2–1 in 2018) and have been tightly contested. To date, Nigeria has recorded two wins against Argentina's six, with the victories occurring duringfriendly matches. Nigeria came close to defeating Argentina in their first meeting, during which they held a lead for some minutes of the match. This was followed by aConfederations Cup match in 1995 which saw Nigeria hold the South Americans to a0–0 draw. Below full international level, theirOlympic teams also faced off in the gold medal match in1996 (3–2 to Nigeria), and2008 (1–0 to Argentina). The final of the2005 FIFA World Youth Championship was also played between them; both Argentina goals in their 2–1 win were scored byLionel Messi, who would go on to find the net for the senior team in the 2014[72] and 2018[73] World Cup fixtures.
The match-up holds some importance to many Nigerian football fans who regard the challenge as an important measuring stick for the development of Nigerian football. Argentine fans for their part, typically do not regard Nigeria as a rival. Although it means less to Argentine fans, matches against Nigeria are always seen as needing to be played with caution.[74][75][76][77]
TheMoshood Abiola National Stadium (formerly known as National Stadium, Abuja) serves as the official home stadium of the Super Eagles. Several international matches are played in other stadiums across the country. However, since the construction ofGodswill Akpabio International Stadium inUyo,Akwa Ibom State, most of the Super Eagles' important home matches have been played there.
The current Nigerian (Super Eagles) managerial staff is made up of a technical adviser who serves as the coach in charge of full international matches and a chief coach who serves as the first assistant coach. The second assistant coach is in charge of thehome-based team as well as theCHAN tournament and other home based competitions. Other positions also include the technical assistant and the goalkeeper trainer.
INJ The player is not part of thecurrent squad due to injury PRE Preliminary squad/standby RET Retired from the national team SUS Serving suspension WD Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue.
^abMusa also appeared in one match againstTogo in 2017, scoring two goals, however Nigeria made nine substitutions during this match, and therefore it is not recognised as an official match by FIFA.
^abcAlso appeared in one match againstTogo in 2017, however Nigeria made nine substitutions during this match, and therefore it is not recognised as an official match by FIFA.
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