Nigeria national football team

Early history

Nigeria first played other colonies in unofficial games, initially in 1938 when they played the Gold Coast with a team of Lagos-based players.^[3] 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 including Marine A.F.C. (which drew 6,000 spectators, a record their Rossett Park ground^[4]), Bishop Auckland, Leytonstone, Dulwich Hamlet and Bromley.^[5] Nigeria then played its first official game in October 1949, while still a British colony, as they beat Sierra Leone 2–0 in Freetown.^[6]

1963–1980

Nigeria first appeared in the Africa Cup of Nations in 1963, when they were drawn in a group with Sudan, and the then United Arab Republic. They did not advance to the next stage.^[7]

The team's first major success was a gold medal in the 2nd All-Africa games in 1973 led by captain, Victor Oduah. The team went on to achieve 3rd-place finishes in the 1976 and 1978 African Cup of Nations to follow. In 1980, with players such as Segun Odegbami and Best Ogedegbe, the team, led by Christian Chukwu, won the African Cup for the first time in Lagos.^[8]

Nigeria Olympic Men's football team won the football event at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, beating Mexico, Brazil and Argentina in the process. They were runners-up in the same event at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, losing to Argentina in a rematch of the 1996 Final of the event.^[9][10]

In 1984, 1988 and 2000,^[11] Nigeria reached the Cup of Nations final, losing to Cameroon. Three of the five African titles won by Cameroon have been won by defeating Nigeria. Missing out to Cameroon on many occasions has created an intense rivalry between both nations. Three notable occasions; narrowly losing out in the 1988 African Cup of Nations, qualifiers for the 1990 World Cup, and the controversial final of the 2000 African Cup of Nations where a kick taken by Victor Ikpeba during the penalty shoot-out was adjudged not to have crossed the goal-line by the referee.^[12][8]

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 the 1976 and 1978 African Cup of Nations.

1980–1990

Nigeria hosted the 1980 Africa Cup of Nations and also won their first Cup of Nations' Title that year in Lagos. Nigeria came out as runners-up three times and had one group stage elimination, between 1982 and 1990. They also failed to qualify for the 1986 Africa Cup of Nations hosted by Egypt.

1992–2006

Nigeria appeared again in the African Cup of Nations in 1992 and 1994, they finished third in 1992 and won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations, which was the second time they won the tournament.

Nigeria finally reached the World Cup for the first time in 1994 after years of struggling to get there. They were managed by Clemens Westerhof. Nigeria topped their group which included Argentina, Bulgaria, and Greece. Nigeria defeated Bulgaria 3–0, lost to Argentina 1–2, and reached the second round after a 2–0 victory over Greece. In the second round, Nigeria played Italy and took the lead with a goal from Emmanuel Amunike in the 25th minute. Nigeria was within two minutes of qualifying for the quarter-finals, when Roberto 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 dictator Sani Abacha due to the criticism received from the tournament hosts South Africa and especially its president Nelson Mandela, for the execution of Ogoni activist Ken Saro-Wiwa. Nigeria was subsequently banned from entering the 1998 African Cup of Nations.

In 1998, Nigeria returned to the World Cup alongside Cameroon, Morocco, Tunisia, and South Africa. Optimism was high due to its manager Bora Milutinović and the return of most 1994 squad members. In the final tournament Nigeria were drawn into group D with Spain, 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 to Denmark. 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 2006 Africa Cup of Nations.

2008–2013

In the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, Nigeria ended their campaign in the quarter finals after losing to Ghana. They qualified for 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, hosted by Angola, but were eliminated by Ghana in the semi-finals.

On 14 November 2009, Nigeria qualified for the 2010 World Cup after defeating Kenya by 3–2 in Nairobi.^[14]

Nigeria lost its opening match against Argentina 1–0 at Ellis Park Stadium following a controversial Gabriel Heinze header in the 6th minute.^[15][16] In its second game Nigeria led early on by a goal from Kalu Uche. A red card against Sani Kaita gave Greece 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 against South Korea, Nigeria took an early lead in the 12th minute off of a great finish by Kalu Uche after a low cross from Chidi Odiah. However, goals from Lee Jung-Soo and Park Chu-Young gave South Korea a 2–1 lead, which looked to be enough for South Korea to advance into the round of 16. However, Nigeria got a chance in the 66th minute, on the end of a pass from Ayila Yussuf that was fed through the South Korean defense was none other than Yakubu, 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 the 2010 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 then President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan suspended the national football team from international competition for two years.^[17] This suspension put the team at risk of being banned from international football by FIFA for reasons of political interference.^[18]

On 5 July 2010, the Nigerian government rescinded its ban of the national football team from FIFA/CAF football competitions,^[19] but the sanction of suspension was applied by FIFA some three months after.^[20] On 4 October 2010, Nigeria was indefinitely banned from international football due to government interference following the 2010 World Cup.^[20] 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.^[21]

Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations after ending the qualifiers with a 2–2 draw against Guinea with goals from Ikechukwu Uche and Victor Obinna,^[22] but were successful in their 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign, qualifying for the final tournament in South Africa after an 8–3 aggregate win over Liberia;^[23] after playing through the tournament with an unbeaten run, they defeated Burkina Faso 1–0 in the final to lift the Cup for the third time.^[24] However, they did not qualify for either of the next two tournaments.^[25]

2014–present

2014 World Cup

Nigeria's campaign in the 2014 FIFA World Cup opened with a disappointing 0–0 draw against Iran. Four days later the team played their second game against Bosnia and Herzegovina. A controversial 29th-minute Peter Odemwingie goal gave Nigeria their first World Cup match win since 1998. They faced Argentina another four days later: a 3rd minute Lionel Messi goal for the opposition was followed almost instantly with an equalizer by Ahmed 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 to Marcos Rojo only for Rojo 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 faced France, an 18th-minute stabbed shot from Emmanuel 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 a Paul Pogba header gifted France the lead. An accidental own goal by Super Eagles Captain Joseph 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 the FIFA World Cup.

2018 World Cup

On 24 June 2016, The Confederation of African Football released the draw for the 3rd round of the World Cup qualifiers which saw Nigeria grouped in what was described as a "group of death"; alongside Zambia, Algeria, and Cameroon. Nigeria started their group stage matches with a 2–1 win over Zambia in Ndola^[26] and defeated Algeria 3–1 in their second match at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium.^[27] They went on to beat Cameroon 5–1 home and away in a back to back contest.^[28]

The Super Eagles of Nigeria became the first African team to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup after beating Zambia 1–0 in Uyo.^[29][30][31] On 3 June 2018, coach Gernot Rohr unveiled a 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.^[32] Nigeria lost their first match of the tournament 0–2 to Croatia in Kaliningrad,^[33] before they won 2–0 in the second match against a brave Iceland,^[34] with Ahmed Musa scoring both goals.^[35] Nigeria had a huge chance to qualify to the next round as Argentina was demolished 3–0 by Croatia. Despite this advantage, they lost 2–1 in their last group stage match against Argentina,^[36] with one goal by Victor Moses.^[37] 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.^[38]

2019 Africa Cup of Nations

The Super Eagles started their campaign at the 2019 AFCON by defeating Burundi 1–0 in group B opening match. They went on to defeat Guinea and lost 2–0 to Madagascar in their final group stage match. The round of 16 saw the national football team of Nigeria defeating Cameroon 3–2 with goals coming from Jude Ighalo and Iwobi, they later went on to confront South Africa in the quarter-finals of the tournament. An 89th-minute header from Troost-Ekong gave Nigeria the lead over South Africa and the match ended 2–1 in favour of Nigeria. Nigeria faced Algeria in the semi-finals and were knocked out of the tournament after a 95th-minute free kick from Riyad Mahrez gave Algeria the lead. The Super Eagles later faced Tunisia in a third place match which they won 1–0 with the only goal coming from Ighalo which made him the top scorer of the tournament.

Kits and crest

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nigeria national football team kits.

The Nigeria national team has traditionally used a mostly-solid green on green primary set with white numbering, lettering, and highlights; coupled with all-white reversed secondary 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 standard office 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.^[48]

On 23 April 2015, Nike was announced to be the supplier of Nigeria's kits after Adidas ended their kit contract with the NFF.^[49][50] Before that, Nike supplied Nigeria's kit between 1994 and 2003.^[51] 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.^[52]

Kit suppliers

More information Kit supplier, Period ...

Kit supplier	Period	Notes
Erima	1980–1984[53]	Used during early golden era including 1980 AFCON win.
Admiral	1984–1987[53]	Featured during Nigeria's rebuilding phase.
Adidas	1988–1994[53]	Worn during 1994 AFCON win and USA 1994 World Cup.
Nike	1994–2003[51]	Worn during Nigeria's debut Olympic gold (1996) and three World Cups (1994, 1998, 2002).
Adidas	2004–2014[54]	Kit supplier for 2006, 2010, and 2014 World Cup squads.
Nike	2015–present[55]	Iconic 2018 World Cup kit went viral globally. Also used for 2019, 2021, and 2023 AFCONs.

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Kit deals

More information Kit supplier, Period ...

Kit supplier	Period	Announced	Duration	Value	Notes
Nike	2015–present	23 April 2015	1 May 2015 – 30 October 2018 (3.5 years)[56]	US$3.75 million (₦743 million)[57]
		20 November 2018	1 November 2018 – 31 December 2026 (8 years 2 months)	Undisclosed[58]	The new deal is reported to be worth significantly more than the previous US$3.75 million contract.

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Nigeria's national team image has evolved throughout its history. Before independence, they were nicknamed the "Red Devils" due to their red-topped kits.^[59] 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.^[60][61]

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).

Media coverage

The Nigerian football federation currently has an active deal with the parent company of AIT and Ray Power Radio.^[62] Internationally, Nigeria's qualifiers and African Cup matches are regularly broadcast abroad by the multi-platform international sports network, beIN Sports and South African broadcaster SuperSport.^[63] Nigeria's international friendlies are regularly scheduled in the UK through independent organisers are marketed to the country's large population of Nigerian expatriates.

Supporters

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.^[64][65] However, the club's efforts at improving the atmosphere at Nigeria's home and away matches are beset by funding issues, corruption and infighting.^[66] 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.^[67]

A regular sight at Nigerian home matches is also their brass and percussion band, whose rendition of well-known Highlife 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.^[68] A popular chant among supporters from all over the country, after a goal scored, is "Oshe Baba!", which means "Thank you father!" in Yoruba.

Ghana

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 a World Cup qualifier match in 1960. However both national teams had already engaged in competitive matches dating back to 1950.^[69] The national teams of these two West African countries were formed during the time in which both remained protectorates of the British Empire. At that time the modern-day nation of Ghana was known as the Gold 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".^[48] 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 the Jollof Derby.^[70]

Cameroon

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 the African Cup of Nations with Cameroon winning each time.^[71] 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.

Other African nations

There is also a number of competitive matches with Algeria 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 the 2019 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 as Dahomey. 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.

Argentina

In five of its six World Cup appearances, Nigeria was drawn in the group stage with three-time champion Argentina and is regarded by many fans as having fairly acquitted themselves against the footballing giant.^[72] The fixture is the most common in the competition's history involving an African nation.^[73] 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 and 2–1 in 2018) and have been tightly contested. To date, Nigeria has recorded two wins against Argentina's six, with the victories occurring during friendly 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 a Confederations Cup match in 1995 which saw Nigeria hold the South Americans to a 0–0 draw. Below full international level, their Olympic teams also faced off in the gold medal match in 1996 (3–2 to Nigeria), and 2008 (1–0 to Argentina). The final of the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship was also played between them; both Argentina goals in their 2–1 win were scored by Lionel Messi, who would go on to find the net for the senior team in the 2014^[74] and 2018^[75] 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.^{[76][77][78][79]}

Super Eagles match venues

2025

Rwanda  v  Nigeria

21 March 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Rwanda	0–2	Nigeria	Kigali, Rwanda
17:00 UTC+1		Report	Osimhen 11', 45+3'	Stadium: Stade Amahoro Referee: Jalal Jayed (Morocco)

Nigeria  v  Zimbabwe

25 March 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Nigeria	1–1	Zimbabwe	Uyo, Nigeria
17:00 UTC+1	Osimhen 74'	Report	Chirewa 90'	Stadium: Godswill Akpabio International Stadium Referee: Tsegay Mogos Teklu (Eritrea)

Nigeria  v  Ghana

28 May 2025 Unity Cup	Nigeria	2–1	Ghana	London, England
	Dessers 14' Simpson 19' (o.g.)	Report	Thomas-Asante 70'	Stadium: Gtech Community Stadium Referee: Stuart Attwell (England)

Nigeria  v  Jamaica

31 May 2025 Unity Cup	Nigeria	2–2 (5–4 p)	Jamaica	London, England
	Simon 9' Chukwueze 53'	Report	Dixon 12' Russell 63'	Stadium: Gtech Community Stadium Attendance: 17250 Referee: Stuart Attwell (England)
	Penalties
	Iheanacho Simon Arokodare Onyemaechi Uche		King Hayden Morrison Atkinson Bell

Russia  v  Nigeria

6 June Friendly match	Russia	1–1	Nigeria	Moscow, Russia
20:00 UTC+3	Ajayi 27' (o.g.)	Report	Arokodare 71'	Stadium: Luzhniki Stadium Attendance: 45638 Referee: Aliyar Aghayev (Azerbaijan)

Nigeria  v  Rwanda

6 September 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Nigeria	1–0	Rwanda	Uyo, Nigeria
17:00 UTC+1	Arokodare 51'	Report		Stadium: Godswill Akpabio International Stadium Referee: Alhadi Allaou Mahamat (Chad)

South Africa  v  Nigeria

9 September 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	South Africa	1–1	Nigeria	Blomfontein, South Africa
18:00 UTC+2	Troost-Ekong 25' (o.g.)	Report	Bassey 44'	Stadium: Free State Stadium Referee: Pierre Atcho (Gabon)

Lesotho  v  Nigeria

10 October 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Lesotho	1–2	Nigeria	Polokwane, South Africa
	Kalake 83'	Report	Troost-Ekong 55' (pen.) Adams 80'	Stadium: Peter Mokaba Stadium Referee: Alhadi Allaou Mahamat (Chad)

Nigeria  v  Benin

14 October 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Nigeria	4–0	Benin	Uyo, Nigeria
17:00 UTC+1	Osimhen 3', 37', 51' Onyeka 90+1'	Report		Stadium: Godswill Akpabio International Stadium Referee: Amin Omar (Egypt)

Nigeria  v  Gabon

13 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Nigeria	4–1 (a.e.t.)	Gabon	Rabat, Morocco
	Adams 78' Ejuke 97' Osimhen 102', 110'	Report	Lemina 89'	Stadium: Moulay Hassan Stadium Referee: Abongile Tom (South Africa)

Nigeria  v  DR Congo

16 November 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Nigeria	1–1 (3–4 p)	DR Congo	Rabat, Morocco
20:00 UTC+1	Onyeka 3'	Report	Elia 32'	Stadium: Moulay Hassan Stadium Referee: Jalal Jayed (Morocco)
	Penalties
	Bassey Simon Adams Onyemaechi Ejuke Ajayi		Moutoussamy Sadiki Tuanzebe Mayele Balikwisha Mbemba

Egypt  v  Nigeria

16 December Friendly	Egypt	2–1	Nigeria	Cairo, Egypt
20:00 UTC+2	Saber 28' M. Mohamed 53'	Report	Awaziem 45+3'	Stadium: Cairo International Stadium Referee: Mahmoud Nagy (Egypt)

Nigeria  v  Tanzania

23 December 2025 AFCON GS	Nigeria	2–1	Tanzania	Fez, Morocco
18:30 UTC+1	Ajayi 36' Lookman 52'	Report	M'Mombwa 50'	Stadium: Fez Stadium Attendance: 11,444 Referee: Dahane Beida (Mauritania)

Nigeria  v  Tunisia

27 December 2025 AFCON GS	Nigeria	3–2	Tunisia	Fez, Morocco
21:00 UTC+1	Osimhen 44' Ndidi 50' Lookman 67'	Report	Talbi 74' Abdi 87' (pen.)	Stadium: Fez Stadium Attendance: 25,544 Referee: Boubou Traore (Mali)

Uganda  v  Nigeria

30 December 2025 AFCON GS	Uganda	1–3	Nigeria	Fez, Morocco
17:00 UTC+1	Salim  56' Mato 75'	Report	Onuachu 28' Onyedika 62', 67'	Stadium: Fez Stadium Attendance: 11,545 Referee: Djindo Louis Houngnandande (Benin)

2026

Nigeria  v  Mozambique

5 January 2025 AFCON R16	Nigeria	4–0	Mozambique	Fez, Morocco
20:00 UTC+1	Lookman 20' Osimhen 25', 47' Adams 75'	Report		Stadium: Fez Stadium Attendance: 14,593 Referee: Abdou Abdel Mefire (Cameroon)

Algeria  v  Nigeria

10 January 2025 AFCON QF	Algeria	0–2	Nigeria	Marrakesh, Morocco
17:00 UTC+1		Report	Osimhen 47' Adams 57'	Stadium: Marrakesh Stadium Attendance: 32,452 Referee: Issa Sy (Senegal)

Nigeria  v  Morocco

14 January 2025 AFCON SF	Nigeria	0–0 (2–4 p)	Morocco	Rabat, Morocco
21:00 UTC+1		Report		Stadium: Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium Attendance: 65,458 Referee: Daniel Nii Laryea (Ghana)
	Penalties
	Onuachu Chukwueze Dele-Bashiru Onyemaechi		El Aynaoui Igamane Ben Seghir Hakimi En-Nesyri

Egypt  v  Nigeria

17 January 2025 AFCON Third-place match	Egypt	0–0 (2–4 p)	Nigeria	Casablanca, Morocco
17:00 UTC+1		Report		Stadium: Mohammed V Stadium Attendance: 38,113 Referee: Jalal Jayed (Morocco)
	Penalties
	Salah Marmoush Rabia Saber		Dele-Bashiru Adams Simon Iwobi Lookman

Iran  v  Nigeria

27 March 2026 Jordan International Tournament	Iran	1–2	Nigeria	Antalya, Turkey[a]
16:00 UTC+3	Taremi 67'	Report	Simon 7' Adams 51'	Stadium: Corendon Airlines Park Attendance: 0 Referee: Cihan Aydın (Turkey)

Jordan  v  Nigeria

31 March 2026 Jordan International Tournament	Jordan	2–2	Nigeria	Antalya, Turkey[a]
20:30 UTC+3	Al-Taamari 17' Al-Dawoud 77'	Report	Simon 25' Fernandez 41'	Stadium: Mardan Sports Complex Attendance: 0 Referee: Atilla Karaoğlan (Turkey)

Nigeria  v  Zimbabwe

26 May 2026 Unity Cup	Nigeria	v	Zimbabwe	London, England
19:30 UTC+1				Stadium: The Valley

Nigeria  v  Jamaica/ India

30 May 2026 Unity Cup	Nigeria	v	Jamaica/ India	London, England
				Stadium: The Valley

Poland  v  Nigeria

3 June Friendly	Poland	v	Nigeria	Warsaw, Poland
20:45 CEST (UTC+2)				Stadium: Stadion Narodowy

Portugal  v  Nigeria

10 June Friendly	Portugal	v	Nigeria	Portugal
--:-- EEST (UTC+01:00)				Stadium: TBD

Coaching history

Caretaker managers are listed in italics.

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2026 Jordan International Tournament matches against Iran and Jordan on 27 and 31 March 2026; respectively.^[84]
Caps and goals correct as of 31 March 2026, after the match against Jordan.

More information No., Pos. ...

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Francis Uzoho	(1998-10-28) 28 October 1998 (age 27)	37	0	Omonia
16	1GK	Adebayo Adeleye	(2000-05-17) 17 May 2000 (age 25)	2	0	Enosis Neon Paralimni
	1GK	Maduka Okoye	(1999-08-28) 28 August 1999 (age 26)	19	0	Udinese
2	2DF	Bright Osayi-Samuel	(1997-12-31) 31 December 1997 (age 28)	34	0	Birmingham City
3	2DF	Zaidu Sanusi	(1997-06-13) 13 June 1997 (age 28)	30	0	Porto
5	2DF	Igoh Ogbu	(2000-02-08) 8 February 2000 (age 26)	9	0	Slavia Prague
18	2DF	Emmanuel Fernandez	(2001-11-20) 20 November 2001 (age 24)	2	1	Rangers
21	2DF	Chibuike Nwaiwu	(2003-07-23) 23 July 2003 (age 22)	1	0	Trabzonspor
	2DF	Semi Ajayi	(1993-11-09) 9 November 1993 (age 32)	54	2	Hull City
	2DF	Bruno Onyemaechi	(1999-04-03) 3 April 1999 (age 27)	28	0	Olympiacos
4	3MF	Wilfred Ndidi	(1996-12-16) 16 December 1996 (age 29)	77	1	Beşiktaş
8	3MF	Frank Onyeka	(1998-01-01) 1 January 1998 (age 28)	43	3	Coventry City
10	3MF	Fisayo Dele-Bashiru	(2001-02-06) 6 February 2001 (age 25)	17	2	Lazio
20	3MF	Raphael Onyedika	(2001-04-19) 19 April 2001 (age 25)	24	3	Club Brugge
7	4FW	Ademola Lookman	(1997-10-20) 20 October 1997 (age 28)	43	11	Atlético Madrid
9	4FW	Akor Adams	(2000-01-29) 29 January 2000 (age 26)	13	5	Sevilla
11	4FW	Samuel Chukwueze	(1999-05-22) 22 May 1999 (age 26)	58	7	Fulham
12	4FW	Philip Otele	(1999-04-15) 15 April 1999 (age 27)	1	0	Hamburger SV
14	4FW	Chidera Ejuke	(1998-01-02) 2 January 1998 (age 28)	14	1	Sevilla
15	4FW	Moses Simon	(1995-07-12) 12 July 1995 (age 30)	96	12	Paris FC
17	4FW	Alex Iwobi	(1996-05-03) 3 May 1996 (age 29)	99	10	Fulham
19	4FW	Paul Onuachu	(1994-05-28) 28 May 1994 (age 31)	31	4	Trabzonspor
22	4FW	Yira Sor	(2000-07-24) 24 July 2000 (age 25)	1	0	Genk

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Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the Nigeria squad within the last twelve months.

More information Pos., Player ...

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Stanley Nwabali	(1996-06-10) 10 June 1996 (age 29)	34	0	Unattached	2025 Africa Cup of Nations
GK	Amas Obasogie	(1999-12-27) 27 December 1999 (age 26)	1	0	Singida Black Stars	2025 Africa Cup of Nations
GK	Ebenezer Harcourt	(2009-10-21) 21 October 2009 (age 16)	1	0	Sporting Lagos	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF	Calvin Bassey	(1999-12-31) 31 December 1999 (age 26)	43	0	Fulham	v.  Iran, 27 March 2026 INJ
DF	Chidozie Awaziem	(1997-01-01) 1 January 1997 (age 29)	40	2	Nantes	2025 Africa Cup of Nations
DF	Ryan Alebiosu	(2001-12-17) 17 December 2001 (age 24)	1	0	Blackburn Rovers	2025 Africa Cup of Nations
DF	William Troost-Ekong RET	(1993-09-01) 1 September 1993 (age 32)	82	8	Al-Ahli	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF	Ola Aina	(1996-10-08) 8 October 1996 (age 29)	48	0	Nottingham Forest	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE / INJ
DF	Adeleke Adekunle	(2002-07-27) 27 July 2002 (age 23)	1	0	Abia Warriors	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF	Felix Agu	(1999-09-27) 27 September 1999 (age 26)	1	0	Werder Bremen	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF	Emmanuel Michael	(2006-06-16) 16 June 2006 (age 19)	0	0	LASK	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
DF	Benjamin Fredrick	(2005-05-28) 28 May 2005 (age 20)	7	0	Dender	v.  DR Congo, 16 November 2025
DF	Sodiq Ismail	(2003-08-13) 13 August 2003 (age 22)	2	0	Primorje	v.  Russia, 6 June 2025
DF	Ifeanyi Onyebuchi	(2000-04-04) 4 April 2000 (age 26)	1	0	Rangers International	v.  Russia, 6 June 2025
DF	Nduka Junior	(2003-08-01) 1 August 2003 (age 22)	0	0	Al-Najaf	v.  Russia, 6 June 2025
DF	Waliu Ojetoye	(2004-04-29) 29 April 2004 (age 21)	0	0	Sellier & Bellot Vlašim	v.  Russia, 6 June 2025
MF	Ebenezer Akinsanmiro	(2004-11-25) 25 November 2004 (age 21)	1	0	Pisa	2025 Africa Cup of Nations
MF	Tochukwu Nnadi	(2003-06-30) 30 June 2003 (age 22)	1	0	Marseille	2025 Africa Cup of Nations
MF	Muhammed Usman	(1994-03-02) 2 March 1994 (age 32)	0	0	Ironi Tiberias	2025 Africa Cup of Nations
MF	Alhassan Yusuf	(2000-07-18) 18 July 2000 (age 25)	8	0	New England Revolution	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF	Christantus Uche	(2003-05-19) 19 May 2003 (age 22)	3	0	Crystal Palace	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF	Peter Agba	(2002-12-20) 20 December 2002 (age 23)	0	0	Maccabi Haifa	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF	Tom Dele-Bashiru	(1999-09-17) 17 September 1999 (age 26)	0	0	Gençlerbirliği	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
MF	Papa Daniel	(2002-01-01) 1 January 2002 (age 24)	1	0	Celje	v.  Russia, 6 June 2025
MF	Chinemerem Ugwueze	(2001-05-20) 20 May 2001 (age 24)	1	0	Plateau United	v.  Russia, 6 June 2025
MF	Saviour Isaac	(2002-01-01) 1 January 2002 (age 24)	0	0	Al Ittihad Alexandria	v.  Russia, 6 June 2025
FW	Victor Osimhen	(1998-12-29) 29 December 1998 (age 27)	51	35	Galatasaray	2025 Africa Cup of Nations
FW	Cyriel Dessers	(1994-12-08) 8 December 1994 (age 31)	11	3	Panathinaikos	2025 Africa Cup of Nations
FW	Salim Fago Lawal	(2003-01-15) 15 January 2003 (age 23)	2	0	Viktoria Plzeň	2025 Africa Cup of Nations
FW	Kelechi Iheanacho	(1996-10-03) 3 October 1996 (age 29)	58	14	Celtic	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW	Terem Moffi	(1999-05-25) 25 May 1999 (age 26)	19	4	Porto	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW	Umar Sadiq	(1997-02-02) 2 February 1997 (age 29)	12	1	Valencia	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW	Victor Boniface	(2000-12-23) 23 December 2000 (age 25)	12	0	Werder Bremen	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE / INJ
FW	Tolu Arokodare	(2000-11-23) 23 November 2000 (age 25)	10	2	Wolverhampton Wanderers	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW	Taiwo Awoniyi	(1997-08-12) 12 August 1997 (age 28)	10	2	Nottingham Forest	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW	Olakunle Olusegun	(2002-04-23) 23 April 2002 (age 24)	2	0	Pari Nizhny Novgorod	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW	Chisom Orji	(2001-04-05) 5 April 2001 (age 25)	1	0	Warri Wolves	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW	Nathan Tella	(1999-07-05) 5 July 1999 (age 26)	1	0	Bayer Leverkusen	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW	Abdulrasheed Shehu Dabai	(2006-03-21) 21 March 2006 (age 20)	0	0	Niger Tornadoes	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW	Rafiu Durosinmi	(2003-01-01) 1 January 2003 (age 23)	0	0	Pisa	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW	Chukwubuikem Ikwuemesi	(2001-08-05) 5 August 2001 (age 24)	0	0	Oud-Heverlee Leuven	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW	Ekeson Okorie	(2004-05-28) 28 May 2004 (age 21)	0	0	Police	2025 Africa Cup of Nations PRE
FW	Ahmed Musa	(1992-10-14) 14 October 1992 (age 33)	110	16	Kano Pillars	v.  Russia, 6 June 2025
FW	Sikiru Alimi	(1996-03-23) 23 March 1996 (age 30)	1	0	JS Saoura	v.  Russia, 6 June 2025
INJ The player is not part of the current 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.

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Most appearances

Top goalscorers

FIFA World Cup

More information FIFA World Cup record, Qualification record ...

FIFA World Cup record											Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Total
1930	Part of United Kingdom										Part of United Kingdom
1934 to 1958	Not a FIFA member										Not a FIFA member
1962	Did not qualify										2	0	1	1	3	6	1962
1966	Withdrew[n 1][86]										Withdrew
1970	Did not qualify										8	3	4	1	15	12	1970
1974											4	1	2	1	3	4	1974
1978											8	3	3	2	17	8	1978
1982											8	3	2	3	8	8	1982
1986											6	5	0	1	11	3	1986
1990											6	3	1	2	7	5	1990
1994	Round of 16	9th	4	2	0	2	7	4	Squad		8	5	2	1	17	5	1994
1998		12th	4	2	0	2	6	9	Squad		6	4	1	1	10	4	1998
2002	Group stage	27th	3	0	1	2	1	3	Squad		10	6	2	2	19	3	2002
2006	Did not qualify										10	6	3	1	21	7	2006
2010	Group stage	27th	3	0	1	2	3	5	Squad		12	9	3	0	20	5	2010
2014	Round of 16	16th	4	1	1	2	3	5	Squad		8	5	3	0	11	4	2014
2018	Group stage	21st	3	1	0	2	3	4	Squad		8	5	2	1	13	6	2018
2022	Did not qualify										8	4	3	1	10	4	2022
2026											12	5	6	1	20	10	2026
2030	To be determined										To be determined
2034
Total	Round of 16	6/16	21	6	3	12	23	30	—		122	66	37	19	203	94	–

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Notes

Africa Cup of Nations

More information Africa Cup of Nations record, Qualification record ...

Africa Cup of Nations record											Qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1957	Not affiliated to CAF										Not affiliated to CAF
1959
1962	Withdrew										4	1	2	1	4	5
1963	Group stage	6th	2	0	0	2	3	10	Squad		2	0	1	1	2	3
1965	Withdrew										Withdrew
1968	Did not qualify										4	1	1	2	4	5
1970	Withdrew										Withdrew
1972	Did not qualify										2	0	1	1	1	2
1974											4	2	1	1	7	9
1976	Third place	3rd	6	3	1	2	11	10	Squad		2	2	0	0	3	1
1978			5	2	2	1	8	5	Squad		4	2	1	1	7	4
1980	Champions	1st	5	4	1	0	8	1	Squad		Qualified as hosts
1982	Group stage	6th	3	1	0	2	4	5	Squad		Qualified as holders
1984	Runners-up	2nd	5	1	3	1	7	8	Squad		4	1	2	1	2	1
1986	Did not qualify										2	0	1	1	0	1
1988	Runners-up	2nd	5	1	3	1	5	3	Squad		4	2	1	1	6	3
1990	Runners-up		5	3	0	2	5	6	Squad		4	2	2	0	8	2
1992	Third place	3rd	5	4	0	1	8	5	Squad		8	4	3	1	15	3
1994	Champions	1st	5	3	2	0	9	3	Squad		6	3	2	1	12	1
1996	Withdrew										Qualified as holders
1998	Banned										Banned
2000	Runners-up	2nd	6	4	2	0	12	5	Squad		Qualified as hosts
2002	Third place	3rd	6	4	1	1	5	2	Squad		6	4	2	0	9	1
2004			6	4	1	1	11	5	Squad		4	2	2	0	7	3
2006			6	4	1	1	7	3	Squad		10	6	3	1	21	7
2008	Quarter-finals	7th	4	1	1	2	3	3	Squad		6	5	0	1	10	3
2010	Third place	3rd	6	3	1	2	6	4	Squad		12	9	3	0	20	5
2012	Did not qualify										6	3	2	1	12	5
2013	Champions	1st	6	4	2	0	11	4	Squad		4	2	2	0	10	3
2015	Did not qualify										6	2	2	2	9	7
2017											4	1	2	1	2	2
2019	Third place	3rd	7	5	0	2	9	7	Squad		6	4	1	1	14	6
2021	Round of 16	9th	4	3	0	1	6	2	Squad		6	4	2	0	14	7
2023	Runners-up	2nd	7	4	2	1	8	4	Squad		6	5	0	1	22	4
2025	Third place	3rd	7	5	2	0	14	4	Squad		6	3	2	1	9	3
2027	To be determined										To be determined
2028
Total	3 Titles	21/35	110	63	24	23	160	99	—		132	70	41	21	230	96

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*Denotes draws including knockout matches decided via a penalty shoot-out.

**Red border colour indicates tournament was held on home soil.

African Nations Championship

More information African Nations Championship record, Year ...

African Nations Championship record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
2009	Did not qualify
2011
2016	Group stage	10th	3	1	1	1	5	3
2018	Runners-up	2nd	6	4	1	1	7	6
2020	Did not qualify
2022
2025	Third place	3rd	3	2	1	0	8	4'
Total	Runners-up	3/7	15	8	4	3	24	17

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WAFU Nations Cup

More information WAFU Nations Cup record, Year ...

WAFU Nations Cup record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
2010	Champions	1st	5	5	0	0	14
2011	Runners-up	2nd	4	1	0	0	9
2013	Did not enter
2017	Runners-up	2nd	4	1	0	0	9
2019	Quarter-finals
Total	1 Title	3/4	13	7	0	0	32	9

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FIFA Confederations Cup