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Nigeria

Nickname(s)	Super Eagles
Association	Nigeria Football Federation
Confederation	CAF (Africa)
Sub-confederation	WAFU (West Africa)
Head coach	Gernot Rohr
Captain	John Mikel Obi
Most caps	Vincent Enyeama (101) Joseph Yobo (101)
Top scorer	Rashidi Yekini (37)
Home stadium	Abuja National Stadium
FIFA code	NGA
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	44 (29 November 2018)[1]
Highest	5 (April 1994)
Lowest	82 (November 1999)
Elo ranking
Current	42 2 (13 December 2018)[2]
Highest	15 (31 May 2004)
Lowest	72 (27 December 1964)
First international
Sierra Leone 0–2 Nigeria  (Freetown, Sierra Leone; 8 October 1949)[3]
Biggest win
Nigeria 10–1 Dahomey  (Lagos, Nigeria; 28 November 1959)
Biggest defeat
Gold Coast and British Togoland 7–0 Nigeria  (Accra, Gold Coast; 1 June 1955)
World Cup
Appearances	6 (first in 1994)
Best result	Round of 16 (1994, 1998, 2014)
Africa Cup of Nations
Appearances	18 (first in 1963)
Best result	Champions (1980, 1994, 2013)
African Nations Championship
Appearances	3 (first in 2014)
Best result	Runners up (2018)
Confederations Cup
Appearances	2 (first in 1995)
Best result	Fourth Place (1995)
Medal record Men's football Olympic Games 1996 Atlanta Team

The Nigeria national football team, also known as the Super Eagles, represents Nigeria in international association football and is controlled by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). They are three-time Africa Cup of Nations winners, with their last title in 2013, after defeating Burkina Faso in the final.

In April 1994, the Super Eagles was ranked 5th in the FIFA rankings, the highest FIFA ranking position ever achieved by an African football team. Throughout history, the team has qualified for six of the last seven FIFA World Cups (as of 2018), missing only the 2006 World Cup hosted in Germany, and have reached the round of 16 three times. Their first World Cup appearance was the 1994 edition hosted by the United States.

History

The Nigeria "UK Tourists" national team prior to their tour of the UK in 1949. The team were known among the West African nations at the time as the "Red Devils" due to their red shirts.

After playing other colonies in unofficial games since the 1930s,^[4] Nigeria played its first official game in October 1949, while still a British colony. The team played warm-up games in England against various amateur teams including Bromley, Dulwich Hamlet, Bishop Auckland and South Liverpool. The team's first major success was a gold medal in the 2nd All-Africa games, with 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 Cup for the first time in Lagos. 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 event.^[5][6][7]

In 1984 and 1988, Nigeria reached the Cup of Nations final, losing both times 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 then 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.^[8]

Team image

Argentina versus Nigeria in a friendly match on 14 November 2017

Kits and crest

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

The Nigeria national team has traditionally utilized 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 colors of the Nigerian flag. The shade of green has varied over the years. An olive drab-tinged, forest green was frequently favored during the 1980s to the early 1990s, and jade has appeared in each of those decades as well; even harlequin has been utilized. 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 colors after its independence.^[9]

On 23 April 2015, Nike was announced to be the current supplier of Nigeria's kits after Adidas ended their kit contract with the Nigeria Football Federation.^[10][11] Before that, Nike supplied Nigeria's kit between 1998 and 2003.

Kit suppliers

Kit supplier	Period	Notes
Erima	1980-1984
Admiral	1984–1987
Adidas	1988–1994
Nike	1994–2002
Adidas	2002–2015
Nike	2015–present

Nickname

Nigeria's national team image has undergone much evolution throughout its history. Prior to independence, they were called the Red Devils due to their red topped kits.^[12] The name was changed to the Green Eagles after independence in reference to the Nigerian state flag as well as the eagle which adorns the country's coat of arms. During the 1988 Africa Cup of Nations, they were still called the Green Eagles, but following their controversial loss in the final, the team's name was changed to the "Super Eagles".^[13][14] Today, only the senior men's national team uses the nickname. The women's national team is called the "Super Falcons", and Nigeria's underage male teams are nicknamed the "Flying Eagles" & the "Golden Eaglets".

Rivalries

Ghana

Ghana vs. Nigeria in the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations Quarter-Final

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. The record is dominated by Ghana although 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.^[15] 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 colors of green and white, wore scarlet tops over white shorts and were known as the "Red Devils".^[9] The two sides played for several rivalry and tournament cups during this period in which full international competition was barred to them.

Other African nations

Nigeria's neighbors to the east, Cameroon, have also played Nigeria a number of times over the years. The teams have met three times in the African Cup of Nations Final with Cameroon winning each time. Both carry histories of continental success and World Cup representation that is nearly unrivaled on the African continent.

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's western neighbor, Benin, has played competitive matches with the team since the period of European colonization 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

Nigeria starting eleven versus Argentina at the 2018 FIFA World Cup

In five of its first six World Cup appearances, Nigeria was drawn in the group stage with two-time champion Argentina and is regarded by many fans as having acquitted themselves fairly against the footballing giant.^[16] The fixture is the most common in the competition's history involving an African nation.^[17] 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^[18] and 2018^[19] 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. However it means less to Argentinean fans, having taken less interest with each passing cycle that Nigeria failed to engineer a meaningful competitive victory.^{[20][21][22][23]}

Media coverage

The Nigerian football federation currently has an active deal with the parent company of AIT and Ray Power Radio.^[24] 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.^[25] Nigeria's international friendlies are regularly scheduled in the UK through independent organizers and are marketed to the country's large population of Nigerian expatriates.

Supporters

Nigerian football supporters at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia

The Nigerian Football Supporters Club (NFSC) is the primary supporters club for the Nigerian football team.^[26] 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 traveling abroad to support Nigeria in away matches.^[27][28] However, the club's efforts at improving the atmosphere at Nigeria's home and away matches are beset by funding issues, corruption and infighting.^[29] The club's current head, Dr. Rafiu Ladipo, has drawn criticism from its membership and is under pressure to defer the leadership to one of his deputies.^[30]

Nigerian football supporters at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia

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.^[31] A popular chant among supporters from all over the country, after a goal scored, is "Oshe Baba!", which means "Thank you father!" in Yoruba.

Home stadium

Abuja home stadium

The Abuja National Stadium (also known as National Stadium or Abuja Stadium) 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 of Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, most of the Super Eagles' important home matches have been played there.

Super Eagles match venues

FIFA World Cup record

1994 World Cup

Countries qualified for the 1994 FIFA World Cup are shown in dark green

Clemens Westerhof managed the team from 1989 through the 1994 World Cup.

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 at 25 minutes. Nigeria were within two minutes of qualifying for the Quarter-finals, but 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.

1998 World Cup

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 was shattered after a 1–4 loss to Denmark.

2002 and 2006 World Cups

The 2002 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 the 2000 and 2002 African Cup of Nations. Nigeria were drawn into group F with powerhouses Sweden, Argentina, and England. The first game against Argentina started with a strong defence that kept the first half scoreless. In the 61st minute, Gabriel Batistuta breached the Nigerian defence 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 the 2006 World Cup after finishing level on points in the qualification group with Angola, but having an inferior record in the matches between the sides.^[35]

2010 World Cup

Nigeria played against South Korea at 2010 FIFA World Cup

On 14 November 2009, Nigeria qualified for the 2010 World Cup after defeating Kenya by 3–2 in Nairobi.^[36]

Nigeria lost its opening match against Argentina 1–0 at Ellis Park Stadium following a controversial Gabriel Heinze header in the 6th minute.^[37][38] 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 that the Super Eagles will probably never forget.

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 keep South Korea ahead 2–1. Three minutes later, Yakubu was able to calmly finish a penalty to knot the score at two apiece, but the damage was done as 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.^[39] This suspension put the team at risk of being banned from international football by FIFA for reasons of political interference.^[40]

On 5 July 2010, the Nigerian government rescinded its ban of the national football team from FIFA/CAF football competitions,^[41] but the sanction of suspension was applied by FIFA some three months after.^[42] On 4 October 2010, Nigeria was indefinitely banned from international football due to government interference following the 2010 World Cup.^[42] Four days later, however, the ban was "provisionally lifted" until 26 October, the day after the officially unrecognised National Association of Nigerian Footballers (NANF) dropped its court case against the NFF.^[43]

2014 World Cup

Line-ups for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Group F match between Nigeria and Bosnia & Herzegovina

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 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

Nigeria Vs Iceland at the 2018 FIFA World Cup

Nigeria Vs Argentina at the 2018 FIFA 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^[44] and defeated Algeria 3–1 in their second match at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium.^[45] They went on to beat Cameroon 5–1 home and away in a back to back contest.^[46]

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.^[47][48][49] On 3 June 2018, coach Gernot Rohr unveiled a 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.^[50] Nigeria lost their first match of the tournament 0–2 to Croatia in Kaliningrad,^[51] before they won 2–0 in the second match against brave Iceland,^[52] with Ahmed Musa scored both goals.^[53] and had a huge chance to qualify as Argentina was demolished 0–3 by Croatia. Despite this advantage, they lost 1–2 in the last match against Argentina,^[54] with one goal by Victor Moses.^[55] For this defeat, and followed with Iceland's defeat to Croatia, Nigeria had not just missed the opportunity, but also got eliminated from the tournament.^[56]

World Cup record

FIFA World Cup record
Year	Host(s)	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930	Uruguay	Did not enter
1934	Italy
1938	France
1950	Brazil
1954	Switzerland
1958	Sweden
1962	Chile	Did not qualify
1966	England	Withdrew[n 1][57]
1970	Mexico	Did not qualify
1974	West Germany
1978	Argentina
1982	Spain
1986	Mexico
1990	Italy
1994	USA	Round of 16	9th	4	2	0	2	7	4
1998	France		12th	4	2	0	2	6	9
2002	South Korea  Japan	Group Stage	27th	3	0	1	2	1	3
2006	Germany	Did not qualify
2010	South Africa	Group Stage	27th	3	0	1	2	3	5
2014	Brazil	Round of 16	16th	4	1	1	2	3	5
2018	Russia	Group Stage	21st	3	1	0	2	3	4
	Total	Round of 16	6/21	21	6	3	12	23	30

Notes

Africa Cup of Nations record

1963–1978

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.
The team withdrew from two African Cup of Nations between 1963 and 1974, due to political instability. In 1976, they came back to the Cup of Nations with third-place finishes in both the 1976 and 1978 Africa 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. In 1996 the team withdrew from the tournament due to the political tensions in the country as at that time, they were also banned from entering the 1998 African Cup of Nations. In 2000 they returned to the Cup of Nations and were the runner-up. They later finished in third place at the 2002, 2004 and 2006 Africa Cup of Nations.

2008–2017

Egypt versus Nigeria lineup at 2010 Africa Cup of Nations, Uzomedia

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. They 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.
Nigeria came back in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations hosted in South Africa; after playing through the tournament with an unbeaten run, they defeated Burkina Faso in the finals to lift the Cup for the third time. However, they did not qualify for either of the next two tournaments.^[58]

2019 Cup of Nations

On 13 January 2017, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) released the draw for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification. The Super Eagles were grouped in group E alongside South Africa, Seychelles, and Libya. despite failing to qualify for both the 2015 and 2017 Africa Cup of Nations they still are seen as the favourite team to qualify from the group.

Africa Cup of Nations record
Host nation(s) / Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1957	Did not enter
1959
1962	Withdrew
1963	Group stage	6th	2	0	0	2	3	10
1965	Withdrew
1968	Did not qualify
1970	Withdrew
1972	Did not qualify
1974
1976	Third place	3rd	6	3	1	2	11	10
1978	Third place	3rd	5	2	2	1	8	5
1980	Champions	1st	5	4	1	0	8	1
1982	Group stage	6th	3	1	0	2	4	5
1984	Runners-up	2nd	5	1	3	1	7	8
1986	Did not qualify
1988	Runners-up	2nd	5	1	3	1	5	3
1990	Runners-up	2nd	5	3	0	2	3	8
1992	Third place	3rd	5	4	0	1	8	5
1994	Champions	1st	5	3	2	0	9	3
1996	Withdrew
1998	Banned
2000	Runners-up	2nd	6	4	2	0	12	5
2002	Third place	3rd	6	3	2	1	4	2
2004	Third place	3rd	6	4	1	1	11	5
2006	Third place	3rd	6	4	1	1	7	3
2008	Quarter-finals	7th	4	1	1	2	3	3
2010	Third place	3rd	6	3	1	2	6	4
2012	Did not qualify
2013	Champions	1st	6	4	2	0	11	4
2015	Did not qualify
2017
2019	To be determined
Total	3 Titles	17/31	86	45	22	19	120	84

*Denotes draws including knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

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

African Nations Championship record

Nigeria have qualified for two of the last three African Nations Championship. Their first appearance in the tournament was in 2014 when they lost to Ghana in the semi finals and later beat Zimbabwe 1–0 to take third place in the Tournament. Nigeria qualified for the 2016 African Nations Championship but were eliminated in the group stage.
They qualified again for the 2018 edition of the Championship to be hosted in Morocco after beating Benin Republic 2–0 (2–1 on aggregate) at the Sani Abacha Stadium, Kano.

Year	Round	Position	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA
Ivory Coast 2009	Did not qualify
Sudan 2011
South Africa 2014	Third place	3rd	6	3	2	1	12	8
Rwanda 2016	Group stage	10th	3	1	1	1	5	3
Morocco 2018	Second place	2nd	6	4	1	1	7	6
Ethiopia 2020	To be decided
Total	2/3	11th	15	8	4	3	24	17

African Games

Football at the African Games has been an under-23 tournament since 1991.

African Games Record
Year	Result	GP	W	D	L	GS	GA
1965	-	0	0	0	0	0	0
1973	-	0	0	0	0	0	0
1978	-	0	0	0	0	0	0
1987	-	0	0	0	0	0	0
1991–present	See Nigeria national under-23 football team
Total	4/4	0	0	0	0	0	0

FIFA Confederations Cup

Nigeria first appeared in the FIFA Confederations Cup in 1995, after they won the 1994 Cup of Nations which was their second African Cup of Nations Title.
Despite having been absent for years, they returned to the competition in 2013 as the team to represent Africa after their successful run in the 2013 Cup of Nations and they were placed in group B where they lost to both Spain and Uruguay in the last two group stage matches after beating Tahiti 6–1 in their first match. They lost out of qualification to the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup after failing to qualify for the 2017 Cup of Nations.

FIFA Confederations Cup record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D *	L	GF	GA	Squad
1992	Did Not Qualify
1995	Fourth Place	4th	3	1	2	0	4	1	Squad
1997	Did Not Qualify
1999
2001
2003
2005
2009
2013	Group Stage	5th	3	1	0	2	7	6	Squad
2017	Did Not Qualify
Total	Fourth Place	2/10	6	2	2	2	11	7	-

Team honours and achievements

• 
  Africa Cup of Nations
  

Winners: 1980, 1994, 2013

Runners-up: 1984, 1988, 1990, 2000

Recent results

  Win
  Draw
  Loss

2018

Nigeria  v  Rwanda

15 January 2018 **CHAN 2018 GS	Nigeria	0–0	Rwanda	Tangier, Morocco
19:30 (WET, UTC±00:00)		Report		Stadium: Stade Ibn Batouta Referee: Victor Gomes (South Africa)

Libya  v  Nigeria

19 January 2018 **CHAN 2018 GS	Libya	0–1	Nigeria	Tangier, Morocco
16:30 (WET, UTC±00:00)		Report	Faleye  79'	Stadium: Stade Ibn Batouta Referee: Mustapha Ghorbal (Algeria)

Equatorial Guinea  v  Nigeria

23 January 2018 **CHAN 2018 GS	Equatorial Guinea	1–3	Nigeria	Agadir, Morocco
19:00 (WET, UTC±00:00)	Nsi  40'	Report	Okpotu  60' D. Ojo  69' Ali  84' (pen)	Stadium: Stade Adrar Referee: Abou Coulibaly (Ivory Coast)

Nigeria  v  Angola

28 January 2018 **CHAN 2018 QF	Nigeria	2–1 (a.e.t.)	Angola	Tangier, Morocco
16:30 (WET, UTC±00:00)	Okpotu  90+2' Okechukwu  109'	Report	Vá  56'	Stadium: Stade Ibn Batouta Referee: Sadok Selmi (Tunisia)

Sudan  v  Nigeria

31 January 2018 **CHAN 2018 SF	Sudan	0–1	Nigeria	Marrakesh, Morocco
19:30 (WET, UTC±00:00)		Report	Okechukwu  16'	Stadium: Stade de Marrakech Referee: Malang Diedhiou (Senegal)

Morocco  v  Nigeria

4 February 2018 **CHAN 2018 Final	Morocco	4–0	Nigeria	Casablanca, Morocco
19:00 (WET, UTC±00:00)	Hadraf  45', 64' El Karti  61' El Kaabi  73'	Report		Stadium: Stade Mohammed V Referee: Bakary Gassama (Gambia)

Poland  v  Nigeria

23 March 2018 Friendly	Poland	0–1	Nigeria	Wrocław, Poland
20:45 (CET, UTC+1)		Report	V. Moses  61' (pen.)	Stadium: Stadion Miejski Attendance: 41,208 Referee: Michael Oliver (England)

Nigeria  v  Serbia

27 March 2018 Friendly	Nigeria	0–2	Serbia	London, England
22:00 (GMT, UTC±0)		Report	Mitrović  68', 81'	Stadium: The Hive Stadium Attendance: 3,500 Referee: Craig Pawson (England)

Nigeria  v Atlético Madrid

22 May 2018 Gotv 2018 Max Cup	Nigeria	2–3	Atlético Madrid	Uyo, Nigeria
	K. Nwakali  31' Usman  79'	Report	Correa  34' Torres  63' Garcés  85'	Stadium: Godswill Akpabio International Stadium

Nigeria  v  DR Congo

28 May 2018 Friendly	Nigeria	1–1	DR Congo	Port Harcourt, Nigeria
17:10 (WAT, UTC+1)	Troost-Ekong  14'	Report	Malango  78' (pen.)	Stadium: Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium Attendance: 40,000 Referee: Issaka Afful (Ghana)

England  v  Nigeria

2 June 2018 Friendly	England	2–1	Nigeria	London, England
17:15 (BST, UTC+1)	Cahill  7' Kane  39'	Report	Iwobi  47'	Stadium: Wembley Stadium Attendance: 70,025 Referee: Marco Guida (Italy)

Nigeria  v  Czech Republic

6 June 2018 Friendly	Nigeria	0–1	Czech Republic	Schwechat, Austria
15:00 (CEST, UTC+2)		Report	Kalas  25'	Stadium: Rudolf-Tonn-Stadion Referee: Julian Weinberger (Austria)

Croatia  v  Nigeria

16 June 2018 (2018-06-16) 2018 FIFA World Cup	Croatia	2–0	Nigeria	Kaliningrad, Russia
21:00 KALT (UTC+2)	Etebo  32' (o.g.) Modrić  71' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Kaliningrad Stadium Attendance: 31,136 Referee: Sandro Ricci (Brazil)

Nigeria  v  Iceland

22 June 2018 (2018-06-22) 2018 FIFA World Cup	Nigeria	2–0	Iceland	Volgograd, Russia
18:00 MSK (UTC+3)	Musa  49', 75'	Report		Stadium: Volgograd Arena Attendance: 40,904 Referee: Matthew Conger (New Zealand)

Nigeria  v  Argentina

26 June 2018 (2018-06-26) 2018 FIFA World Cup	Nigeria	1–2	Argentina	Saint Petersburg, Russia
21:00 MSK (UTC+3)	V. Moses  51' (pen.)	Report	Messi  14' Rojo  86'	Stadium: Krestovsky Stadium Referee: Cüneyt Çakır (Turkey)

Seychelles  v  Nigeria

8 September 2018 2019 AFCONQ	Seychelles	0–3	Nigeria	Victoria, Seychelles
16:30 SCT (UTC+4)		Report	Musa  15' Awaziem  34' Ighalo  57' (pen.)	Stadium: Stade Linité Referee: Davies Omweno (Kenya)

Liberia  v  Nigeria

11 September 2018 Friendly	Liberia	1–2	Nigeria	Monrovia, Liberia
19:00 GMT	Sherman  89' (p)	Report	Onyekuru  14' Nwankwo  42'	Stadium: Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex

Nigeria  v  Libya

13 October 2018 2019 AFCONQ	Nigeria	4–0	Libya	Uyo, Nigeria
16:00 WAT (UTC+1)	Ighalo  4' (pen.), 58', 69' Kalu  90'	Report		Stadium: Godswill Akpabio International Stadium Referee: Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo (DR Congo)

Libya  v  Nigeria

16 October 2018 2019 AFCONQ	Libya	2–3	Nigeria	Sfax, Tunisia
19:00 CET (UTC+1)	Zubya  35' Benali  74'	Report	Ighalo  14', 81' Musa  17'	Stadium: Stade Taïeb Mhiri Referee: Joshua Bondo (Botswana)

South Africa  v  Nigeria

17 November 2018 2019 AFCONQ	South Africa	1–1	Nigeria	Johannesburg, South Africa
15:00 SAST (UTC+2)	Mothiba  26'	Report	Mkhwanazi  9' (o.g.)	Stadium: FNB Stadium Referee: Bakary Gassama (Gambia)

Nigeria  v  Uganda

20 November 2018 Friendly	Nigeria	0–0	Uganda	Asaba, Nigeria
16:45 WAT (UTC+1)		Report		Stadium: Stephen Keshi Stadium Referee: Djindo Louis Houngnandande (Benin)

* 2018 International Fixture Dates
** African Nations Championship and WAFU Nations Cup tournament matches take place outside of the official FIFA international competition dates and are contested primarily between domestic-based players for each nation. National team players based abroad are not required to be released for these competitions. Matches played do count towards FIFA ranking but are officially calculated as "friendly" matches.^[63]

2019

Nigeria  v  Seychelles

22 March 2019 2019 AFCONQ

Nigeria

v

Seychelles

Nigeria

Current team status

2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification

Pos	Team [ v t e ]	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Nigeria (Q)	5	3	1	1	11	5	+6	10	Final tournament		—	0–2	4–0	18–26 Mar '19
2	South Africa	5	2	3	0	9	1	+8	9			1–1	—	0–0	6–0
3	Libya	5	2	1	2	15	9	+6	7			2–3	18–26 Mar '19	—	5–1
4	Seychelles (E)	5	0	1	4	2	22	−20	1			0–3	0–0	1–8	—

Personnel

The 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 in charge of the home-based Super Eagles as well as the CHAN tournament and other home based competitions. Other positions also include the technical assistants and the goalkeeper trainer. Gernot Rohr is the Super Eagle's Technical Adviser, he has held this position since 2016.^{[64][65][66][67]}

Position	Name
Technical Adviser	Gernot Rohr
Technical Director	Bitrus Bewarang
Technical Assistant	Muhammad Khalifa
Technical Assistant II	Ikechukwu Akpeyi
Video Analyst	Muhammadu Khamis
Assistant Coach	Imama Amapakabo
Goalkeeper Trainer	Alloysius Agu

Current squad

The following 23 players were called up for the 2019 AFCON Qualifier against South Africa and the friendly match against Uganda in November 2018.^[68]
Caps and goals current as of 20 November 2018 after the match against Uganda.^[69]

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Ikechukwu Ezenwa	(1988-10-16) 16 October 1988 (age 30)	20	0	Enyimba
16	1GK	Daniel Akpeyi	(1986-08-03) 3 August 1986 (age 32)	9	0	Chippa United
23	1GK	Theophilus Afelokhai	(1988-04-07) 7 April 1988 (age 30)	0	0	Enyimba
22	2DF	Kenneth Omeruo	(1993-10-17) 17 October 1993 (age 25)	43	0	Leganés
5	2DF	William Troost-Ekong	(1993-09-01) 1 September 1993 (age 25)	28	1	Udinese
6	2DF	Leon Balogun	(1989-06-28) 28 June 1989 (age 29)	26	0	Brighton & Hove Albion
2	2DF	Brian Idowu	(1992-05-18) 18 May 1992 (age 26)	10	1	Lokomotiv Moscow
	2DF	Ola Aina	(1996-10-08) 8 October 1996 (age 22)	7	0	Torino
20	2DF	Semi Ajayi	(1993-10-08) 8 October 1993 (age 25)	5	0	Rotherham United
3	2DF	Jamilu Collins	(1994-08-05) 5 August 1994 (age 24)	5	0	Paderborn 07
12	2DF	Adeleye Aniyikaye	(1993-01-06) 6 January 1993 (age 25)	1	0	Ifeanyi Ubah
19	3MF	John Ogu	(1988-04-20) 20 April 1988 (age 30)	23	2	Hapoel Be'er Sheva
8	3MF	Oghenekaro Etebo	(1995-11-09) 9 November 1995 (age 23)	23	1	Stoke City
4	3MF	Mikel Agu	(1993-05-27) 27 May 1993 (age 25)	7	0	Vitória Setúbal
17	3MF	Samuel Kalu	(1997-08-26) 26 August 1997 (age 21)	6	1	Bordeaux
10	3MF	Samuel Chukwueze	(1999-05-22) 22 May 1999 (age 19)	1	0	Villarreal
7	4FW	Ahmed Musa (captain)	(1992-10-14) 14 October 1992 (age 26)	80	17	Al-Nassr
18	4FW	Alex Iwobi	(1996-05-03) 3 May 1996 (age 22)	26	5	Arsenal
14	4FW	Kelechi Iheanacho	(1996-10-03) 3 October 1996 (age 22)	25	8	Leicester City
15	4FW	Moses Simon	(1995-07-12) 12 July 1995 (age 23)	22	4	Levante
11	4FW	Henry Onyekuru	(1997-06-05) 5 June 1997 (age 21)	8	1	Galatasaray
13	4FW	Isaac Success	(1996-01-07) 7 January 1996 (age 22)	4	0	Watford
9	4FW	Victor Osimhen	(1998-12-29) 29 December 1998 (age 19)	3	0	Charleroi

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the Nigeria squad within the last 12 months.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Francis Uzoho	(1998-10-28) 28 October 1998 (age 20)	12	0	Elche	v.  South Africa, 17 November 2018 INJ
GK	Dele Ajiboye	(1990-08-07) 7 August 1990 (age 28)	3	0	Plateau United	2018 FIFA World Cup PRE
GK	Olorunleke Ojo	(1995-08-17) 17 August 1995 (age 23)	0	0	Akwa United	v. Atlético Madrid, 22 May 2018
GK	Olufemi Kayode	(1992-12-31) 31 December 1992 (age 25)	0	0	Lobi Stars	v. Atlético Madrid, 22 May 2018
GK	Olufemi Thomas	(1989-08-05) 5 August 1989 (age 29)	0	0	Rivers United	v. Atlético Madrid, 22 May 2018
DF	Chidozie Awaziem	(1997-01-01) 1 January 1997 (age 21)	6	1	Porto	v.  South Africa, 16 November 2018 PRE
DF	Shehu Abdullahi	(1993-03-12) 12 March 1993 (age 25)	29	0	Bursaspor	v.  Libya, 13 October 2018 INJ
DF	Olamilekan Adeleye	(1995-06-06) 6 June 1995 (age 23)	6	0	Ifeanyi Ubah	v.  Liberia, 11 September 2018
DF	Ebube Duru		1	0	Lobi Stars	v.  Liberia, 11 September 2018
DF	Stephen Eze	(1994-03-08) 8 March 1994 (age 24)	13	0	Lokomotiv Plovdiv	v.  Seychelles, 7 September 2018 PRE
DF	Musa Muhammed	(1996-10-31) 31 October 1996 (age 22)	3	0	Gorica	v.  Seychelles, 7 September 2018 PRE
DF	Elderson Echiéjilé	(1988-01-20) 20 January 1988 (age 30)	62	3	Unattached	2018 FIFA World Cup
DF	Tyronne Ebuehi	(1995-12-16) 16 December 1995 (age 22)	8	0	Benfica	2018 FIFA World Cup
DF	Ikouwem Udo	(1999-11-11) 11 November 1999 (age 19)	3	0	Enyimba	v. Atlético Madrid, 22 May 2018
DF	Chinedu Ajanah	(1996-10-23) 23 October 1996 (age 22)	0	0	Katsina United	v. Atlético Madrid, 22 May 2018
DF	Stanley Okorom	(1994-05-13) 13 May 1994 (age 24)	0	0	MFM	v. Atlético Madrid, 22 May 2018
DF	Isiaka Oladuntoye	(1991-01-20) 20 January 1991 (age 27)	0	0	Enyimba	v. Atlético Madrid, 22 May 2018
DF	Austin Opara	(1996-01-10) 10 January 1996 (age 22)	0	0	MFM	v. Atlético Madrid, 22 May 2018
DF	Orji Kalu	(1992-02-09) 9 February 1992 (age 26)	11	0	Mouloudia Oujda	2018 African Nations Championship
DF	Daniel Itodo	(1991-12-29) 29 December 1991 (age 26)	4	0	Plateau United	2018 African Nations Championship
DF	Timothy Danladi	(1996-10-15) 15 October 1996 (age 22)	1	0	Katsina United	2018 African Nations Championship
DF	Abdullahi Musa	(1996-02-01) 1 February 1996 (age 22)	1	0	Wikki Tourists	2018 African Nations Championship
DF	Ifeanyi Nweke	(1997-11-10) 10 November 1997 (age 21)	0	0	Kano Pillars	2018 African Nations Championship
MF	Ogenyi Onazi	(1992-12-25) 25 December 1992 (age 25)	52	1	Trabzonspor	v.  Libya, 13 October 2018 INJ
MF	Wilfred Ndidi	(1996-12-16) 16 December 1996 (age 21)	24	0	Leicester City	v.  Libya, 13 October 2018 INJ
MF	Joel Obi	(1991-05-22) 22 May 1991 (age 27)	17	0	Chievo	v.  Liberia, 11 September 2018
MF	Kelechi Nwakali	(1998-06-05) 5 June 1998 (age 20)	1	0	Porto B	v.  Liberia, 11 September 2018
MF	Uche Henry Agbo	(1995-12-04) 4 December 1995 (age 23)	1	0	Standard Liège	v.  Seychelles, 7 September 2018 PRE
MF	John Obi Mikel	(1987-04-22) 22 April 1987 (age 31)	87	6	Tianjin TEDA	2018 FIFA World Cup WD
MF	Victor Moses	(1990-12-12) 12 December 1990 (age 28)	38	12	Chelsea	2018 FIFA World Cup RET
MF	Dayo Ojo	(1994-10-10) 10 October 1994 (age 24)	5	1	Sunshine Stars	v. Atlético Madrid, 22 May 2018
MF	Abdullahi Alhassan	(1996-11-03) 3 November 1996 (age 22)	3	0	Nacional	v. Atlético Madrid, 22 May 2018
MF	Mohammed Usman	(1994-03-02) 2 March 1994 (age 24)	3	0	Sarpsborg 08	v. Atlético Madrid, 22 May 2018
MF	Destiny Ashadi	(1995-03-31) 31 March 1995 (age 23)	1	0	Katsina United	v. Atlético Madrid, 22 May 2018
MF	Raphael Ayagwa	(1997-02-04) 4 February 1997 (age 21)	0	0	Lillestrøm	v. Atlético Madrid, 22 May 2018
MF	Chidiebere Nwakali	(1996-12-26) 26 December 1996 (age 21)	0	0	Raków Częstochowa	v. Atlético Madrid, 22 May 2018
MF	Rabiu Ali	(1986-06-23) 23 June 1986 (age 32)	23	7	Kano Pillars	2018 African Nations Championship
MF	Osas Okoro	(1990-09-07) 7 September 1990 (age 28)	20	2	Buildcon	2018 African Nations Championship
MF	Ifeanyi Ifeanyi	(1995-08-15) 15 August 1995 (age 23)	12	0	Akwa United	2018 African Nations Championship
MF	Emeka Atuloma	(1992-10-01) 1 October 1992 (age 26)	5	0	Rivers United	2018 African Nations Championship
MF	Augustine Oladapo	(1995-07-27) 27 July 1995 (age 23)	5	0	Enyimba	2018 African Nations Championship
FW	Odion Ighalo	(1989-06-16) 16 June 1989 (age 29)	25	10	Changchun Yatai	v.  South Africa, 16 November 2018 INJ
FW	Sunday Adetunji	(1997-12-10) 10 December 1997 (age 21)	1	0	Enyimba	v.  South Africa, 16 November 2018 PRE
FW	Junior Lokosa	(1993-08-23) 23 August 1993 (age 25)	1	0	Kano Pillars	v.  South Africa, 16 November 2018 PRE
FW	Nyima Nwagua	(1993-05-09) 9 May 1993 (age 25)	0	0	Kano Pillars	v.  South Africa, 16 November 2018 PRE
FW	Simeon Nwankwo	(1992-05-07) 7 May 1992 (age 26)	5	1	Crotone	v.  Liberia, 11 September 2018
FW	Mfon Udoh	(1992-03-14) 14 March 1992 (age 26)	3	1	Enyimba	v.  Liberia, 11 September 2018
FW	Blessing Eleke	(1996-03-05) 5 March 1996 (age 22)	0	0	Luzern	v.  Seychelles, 7 September 2018 PRE
FW	Samuel Eduok	(1994-01-31) 31 January 1994 (age 24)	1	0	Kasımpaşa	v. Atlético Madrid, 22 May 2018
FW	Alhassan Ibrahim		0	0	Kano Pillars	v. Atlético Madrid, 22 May 2018
FW	Tosin Omoyele	(1996-08-03) 3 August 1996 (age 22)	0	0	Plateau United	v. Atlético Madrid, 22 May 2018
FW	Samad Kadiri	(1995-09-08) 8 September 1995 (age 23)	0	0	Lobi Stars	v. Atlético Madrid, 22 May 2018
FW	Umar Sadiq	(1997-02-02) 2 February 1997 (age 21)	0	0	Rangers	v. Atlético Madrid, 22 May 2018
FW	Gabriel Okechukwu	(1995-08-28) 28 August 1995 (age 23)	5	2	Wydad Casablanca	v.  Serbia, 27 March 2018
FW	Junior Ajayi	(1996-01-29) 29 January 1996 (age 22)	1	0	Al Ahly	v.  Serbia, 27 March 2018
FW	Anthony Okpotu	(1994-03-03) 3 March 1994 (age 24)	11	3	Difaâ El Jadidi	2018 African Nations Championship
FW	Emeka Ogbugh	(1990-02-22) 22 February 1990 (age 28)	5	0	Rivers United	2018 African Nations Championship
FW	Eneji Moses	(1999-04-08) 8 April 1999 (age 19)	4	2	Plateau United	2018 African Nations Championship
FW	Sunday Faleye	(1998-11-29) 29 November 1998 (age 20)	4	1	Akwa United	2018 African Nations Championship
FW	Ibrahim Mustapha	(1996-09-01) 1 September 1996 (age 22)	3	0	Enyimba	2018 African Nations Championship
FW	Mohammed Nur	(2002-12-02) 2 December 2002 (age 16)	2	0	El-Kanemi Warriors	2018 African Nations Championship
INJ Withdrew because of an injury. PRE Preliminary squad.