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Football in Nigeria
Nigeria vs Argentina friendly match line up in 2018
Country	Nigeria
Governing body	Nigeria Football Federation
National team(s)	national football team
First played	1904
National competitions
Africa Cup of Nations FIFA World Cup
Club competitions
League: Nigeria Professional Football League Nigeria National League Nigeria Nationwide League Cups: Federation Cup
International competitions
CAF Champions League CAF Confederation Cup CAF Super Cup FIFA Club World Cup

Football is the most popular sport in Nigeria. The Nigeria national football team competes regularly for international titles and many Nigerian footballers compete in Europe, particularly in England. Nigeria has one of the finest national teams in Africa and has produced many notable footballers including Mudashiru Lawal, Rashidi Yekini, Jay Jay Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu, Vincent Enyeama, Joseph Yobo, Mikel John Obi and Victor Osimhen.

Polling shows the majority of Nigerians watch international and domestic football. Due to the number of Nigerian players in the English Premier League and the fact that Nigeria is an English-speaking country, the majority of Nigerians support an English club. The most popular football clubs in Nigeria are Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal. Spanish clubs Real Madrid and Barcelona are also popular among Nigerians.

History

Football was first introduced to Nigeria by the British at the start of the twentieth century. The first recorded football match in Nigeria was in 1904. By 1950, football had become the national game of the country. During this time in African history, many nations began to partake in nationalist movements where they protested colonial power. In Nigeria, football gave citizens a sense of national pride and inspired them to achieve political freedom. An individual named Nnamdi Azikiwe played a critical role in helping Nigeria achieve its freedom from Britain.

Peter Alegi, associate professor of history at Michigan State University, states, "Nnamdi Azikiwe emerged as a key figure connecting sports and politics in the late colonial period" (37). Throughout his life, Azikiwe was angered by the racism and racial segregation that existed in sports. There were two particular events in his life that motivated him to finally take action. The first event was when "he was denied the opportunity to compete in a track-and-field event at the 1934 Empire Games because Nigeria was not allowed to participate" (Alegi 39). The second event was when his application to join a tennis club in Lagos was rejected because of his Igbo background. These events resulted in Azikiwe creating the Zik's Athletic Club (ZAC) in Lagos in April 1938. This sports club had facilities and equipment for many sports such as football, boxing, and tennis. The club quickly became a symbol of African self-determination and nationalism in Nigeria.

Throughout the course of World War II, Azikiwe continuously criticized the British for fighting in a war for democracy, yet at the same time, oppress Africans from self-determination. To spread his ideas and popularize the game of football, Azikiwe went on numerous tours across Nigeria during the war. He also established a nationalist newspaper, the West African Pilot, in 1937. This newspaper popularized the game of football in Nigeria and made it a crucial aspect of the nation's identity. It helped establish a greater sense of community within Nigeria and developed pan-African sentiments. The paper also played a critical role in raising attention about social consciousness. Through its coverage of football, the Pilot was able to achieve its mission. By the end of the war, football had become a cornerstone of Nigeria's identity. On October 1, 1960, Nigeria finally gained its independence from Britain. This year also saw Nigeria become a member of FIFA. Nnamdi Azikiwe went on to become the first President of Nigeria in 1963.

National competitions

National team

The Nigeria national football team, nicknamed the Super Eagles, is the national team of Nigeria and is controlled by the Nigeria Football Association. According to the FIFA World Rankings, Nigeria, at 39th, are currently the 5th best team in the Confederation of African Football.

The Nigeria national football team played their first international match against Sierra Leone in Freetown on 8 October 1949. Nigeria won 2–0. Their biggest win recorded was 16–1 against Benin.

Nigeria's best performances at the World Cup are the 1994, 1998, and 2014 where they reached the second round.

Youth

Nigeria's youth teams won the inaugural FIFA U-17 World Cup in 1985 as well as in 1993, 2007, 2013, 2015. The under-17 team is known as the Golden Eaglets and Under-20 team is known as the "Flying Eagles".

Nigeria's Flying Eagles qualified for the first time to represent Africa in the 1983 FIFA World Youth Championship in Mexico. Although Nigeria did not go beyond the first round, they beat the highly rated USSR 1-0 and held the Netherlands to a goalless draw.

In 1985, the under-17 football team went to China and conquered the world in the first ever FIFA U-17 World Championship. The victory took Nigerian youth football to a high pedestal, setting the stage for a respect of Nigeria in international competitions. The under-20 team went to Saudi Arabia for the 1989 FIFA World Youth Championship and lost narrowly in the final to Portugal. The team pulled off the now-legendary "Miracle of Damman", erasing a 4–0 deficit to the Soviet Union to tie and then win the match by penalties. In 2007, the under-17 squad were crowned world champions in South Korea for the 3rd time. Nigeria hosted the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship and the 2009 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

U-23

The 1996 under-23 team won the gold medal in the 1996 Summer Olympics held in Atlanta. After defeating Brazil by 4–3 in the semi-final, they won the final against Argentina 3–2.

Nigeria also won the first-ever Unity World Cup in 2014.

Women's football

The women's national team (the Super Falcons) has been a dominant force on the African continent since its inception. They have qualified for every FIFA Women's World Cup and won the first seven CAF Women's Championships before having their run end in 2008 against Equatorial Guinea. Great players for the Falcons include Mercy Akide, Maureen Mmadu and Perpetua Nkwocha.

Football stadiums in Nigeria

Football stadiums with a capacity of 30,000 or higher are included.

#	Stadium	Capacity	Commissioned	City	State	Tenants	Ref	Images
1	Moshood Abiola National Stadium	60,491	2003	Abuja	FCT	Nigeria national football team
2	Jos International Stadium	60,000		Jos	Plateau
3	Lagos National Stadium	45,000	1972	Lagos	Lagos	Cowrie Rugby Football Club
4	Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium	38,000	2015	Port Harcourt	Rivers
5	Muhammadu Dikko Stadium	35,000	2013	Katsina	Katsina	Katsina United F.C.
6	Godswill Akpabio International Stadium	30,000	2014	Uyo	Akwa Ibom	Akwa United

Support

Football is the most popular sport in Nigeria, and most people in Nigeria watch international football and support a club in a domestic league.

A 2024 poll conducted by NOI Polls found that 67% of Nigerians watch football, and 86% of Nigerians watched Nigeria at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, where Nigeria lost 2–1 to hosts Ivory Coast in the Final. By far the most popular league in Nigeria is the English Premier League, which is followed by 59% of Nigerians, while the local Nigerian Premier League is followed by 34% of Nigerians. The same poll found that 28% of Nigerians listed Chelsea as their favourite football club, followed by Manchester United (23%) and Arsenal (21%). The poll found that Chelsea was the most popular club in every geopolitical zone except for North East (where Arsenal are the most popular club) and North West (where Manchester United are the most popular club).

Most supported clubs

English Premier League

Nigerian Premier League

See also

• Nigeria national football team
• Nigeria women's national football team
• Nigeria Football Association
• Nigerian Premier League
• Women's football in Nigeria
• List of stadiums in Nigeria

Bibliography

• Boer, Wiebe (2018). The History of Football in Nigeria. City: Bookcraft. ISBN 978-9788457961.

References

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3. Walker, Andrew (2008-07-28). "Africa | Is Premier League killing Nigerian football?". BBC News. Retrieved 2013-12-07.
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8. ^ "Football League Followership". NOIPolls. 2024-03-13. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
9. "The Five Most Popular European Clubs In Nigeria – Independent Newspaper Nigeria". 2022-12-28. Retrieved 2024-10-18.
10. FIFA.com. "Nigeria's soccer history". www.fifa.com. Archived from the original on May 2, 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
11. Akindutire, Issac Olu (1 May 1991). "The Historical Development of Soccer in Nigeria: An Appraisal of Its Emerging Prospects". Canadian Journal of History of Sport. 22 (1): 20–31. doi:10.1123/cjhs.22.1.20. Retrieved 2 May 2019 – via journals.humankinetics.com (Atypon).
12. "New book traces Nigerian football history". 11 June 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
13. Alegi, Peter. African Soccerscapes: How a Continent Changed the World's Game. Hurst & Company, 2010.
14. Alegi, Peter. African Soccerscapes: How a Continent Changed the World's Game. Hurst & Company, 2010.
15. Alegi, Peter. African Soccerscapes: How a Continent Changed the World's Game. Hurst & Company, 2010.
16. Alegi, Peter. African Soccerscapes: How a Continent Changed the World's Game. Hurst & Company, 2010.
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24. "Sierra Leone - List of International Matches". Rsssf.com. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
25. Moran, Malcolm (6 July 1994). "WORLD CUP '94; Baggio Brings a Last-Gasp Victory for the Italians". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
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v t e Football in Nigeria
Nigeria Football Federation
Men	National team Olympic (U-23) U-20 U-17 Beach soccer Women National team U-20 U-17
League system	Men Premier League National League Nigeria Nationwide League 1, 2 Women Premiership Championship Nationwide League
Domestic cups	Men Federation Cup Super Cup Super 4 Women Women's Federation Cup Women's Super Cup
Awards	Footballer of the Year Top scorers
Lists	All-time Table Champions Men's clubs Women's clubs International footballers Foreign players Venues
Men's clubs Women's clubs Men's players Women's players Expatriate players Managers Referees Venues Seasons Records

• Football in Nigeria