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The Super Eagles of Nigeria lined up before a match

Sports played in Nigeria

Football in Nigeria

Super Eagles, Super Falcons, Olympic gold and five U-17 world titles: Nigeria’s favourite sport.

The beautiful game

Football in Nigeria

Football is the heartbeat of Nigerian sport. On match days, streets in Lagos, Kano, Enugu and Port Harcourt empty as fans crowd around television sets, and a goal for the Super Eagles can be heard from one end of a neighbourhood to the other. The game arrived with British colonial officials and missionaries early in the 20th century, and by 1945 the Nigeria Football Association (today the Nigeria Football Federation) had been formed.

Since then Nigeria has become one of Africa’s great football nations: three Africa Cup of Nations titles, Olympic gold in 1996, five FIFA U-17 world titles for the Golden Eaglets, and a women’s team, the Super Falcons, that has ruled African women’s football for more than three decades. Nigerian players, from Nwankwo Kanu and Jay-Jay Okocha to Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman and Asisat Oshoala, have starred in the biggest leagues in the world.

This section covers every national team, their history and records, the stadiums they play in, and the players who made them famous. Club football, the NPFL and the NNL, has its own section.

Nigeria’s national football teams
TeamLevelBest achievements
Super EaglesMen’s seniorAFCON champions 1980, 1994, 2013; 6 World Cups
Super FalconsWomen’s senior10 African titles; World Cup quarter-final 1999
Flying EaglesMen’s U-20World Cup runners-up 1989 and 2005
Golden EagletsMen’s U-17World champions 1985, 1993, 2007, 2013, 2015
FalconetsWomen’s U-20World Cup runners-up 2010 and 2014
FlamingosWomen’s U-17World Cup bronze 2022
Olympic team (U-23)Men’s U-23Olympic gold 1996, silver 2008, bronze 2016
The Super Eagles in green lined up for a team photo

In this section

Explore Nigerian football

Statistics · Checked 30 September 2026

Nigerian football in numbers

Super Eagles records

  • 3

    AFCON titles

    1980, 1994, 2013

  • 6

    Men’s World Cups

    Round of 16 in 1994, 1998, 2014

  • 1996

    Olympic gold

    Atlanta

  • 5

    U-17 world titles

    Golden Eaglets

  • 10

    African women’s titles

    Super Falcons

  • 37

    Record goals

    Rashidi Yekini

  • 1949

    First tour

    England, played barefoot

  • 26th

    FIFA ranking

    Super Eagles, July 2026

Quick answers

Football in Nigeria: facts and figures

What is the most popular sport in Nigeria?

Football. The Super Eagles, the Super Falcons and European league matches draw the biggest audiences in the country, and the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has 20 clubs.

How many AFCON titles have the Super Eagles won?

Three: 1980 (3-0 against Algeria in Lagos), 1994 (2-1 against Zambia in Tunis) and 2013 (1-0 against Burkina Faso in Johannesburg). They have also been runners-up five times and third eight times.

How many World Cups have Nigeria played in?

Six men’s World Cups (1994, 1998, 2002, 2010, 2014 and 2018), reaching the round of 16 three times. The Super Falcons played in every Women’s World Cup from 1991 to 2023.

Has Nigeria won Olympic football gold?

Yes. Nigeria won the men’s football gold at Atlanta 1996, beating Brazil 4-3 and Argentina 3-2. They added silver in 2008 and bronze in 2016.

How many U-17 World Cups have the Golden Eaglets won?

Five (1985, 1993, 2007, 2013 and 2015), more than any other nation.

Who is the Super Eagles coach?

Éric Chelle, appointed on 7 January 2025 (checked 30 September 2026).