Member Association Focus: Nigeria
Our weekly member association focus falls on Nigeria, a member of the Confédération Africaine de Football since 1959.
NATIONAL TEAM
The Super Eagles were runners-up at the last TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations finals in Cote d’Ivoire, leading the hosts in the final before losing 2-1 in Abidjan. It was the eighth time they had reached the final, having won three times. They were drawn on Monday in Group C for the 2025 finals in Morocco, where their opponents will be Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda. But over the next month, the focus for the Super Eagles will be on World Cup qualification as they battle in Group C with Benin, Lesotho, Rwanda, South Africa and Zimbabwe for a place in the finals in North America in 2026. Nigeria have been to six of the last eight World Cup finals. Nigeria enjoy the best record of success at the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations with nine tournament successes but finished fourth at the last finals in 2022. They will be back to try and reassert their superiority as they compete at the finals in Morocco in July and are drawn with Algeria, Botswana, and Tunisia in Group B for the tournament.
CLUBS
Enyimba were the only one of four Nigerian entrants in this season’s African club competitions to reach the group phase. They finished third in their TotalEnergies CAF Confederation Cup group behind the Egyptian duo of Zamalek and Al Masry. El Kanemi Warriors were eliminated at the first hurdle of Confederation Cup while in the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League, Enugu Rangers made it to the second round but Remo Stars went out at the first attempt. At last November’s CAF Women’s Champions League finals in Morocco, Edo Queens finished in fourth place, having won their group in impressive fashion but then losing to TP Mazembe from DR Congo in the semi-final and FC Masar of Egypt in the bronze medal match.
LEADERSHIP
Ibrahim Musa Gusau was elected president of the Nigerian Football Federation in September 2022. A qualified accountant, he previously served as chairman of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria and the Zamfara State Football Association and worked in the state ministry of finance.
HISTORY
Nigeria have been a long-standing flag bearer for Africa in FIFA competition, starting with their winning appearance at the inaugural FIFA U-16 World Cup in China in 1985. The Super Eagles have been to six FIFA World Cups, while at under-23 level Nigeria won Olympic gold in Atlanta in 1996 and silver in Beijing in 2008. The Flying Eagles have twice been FIFA U-20 World Cup runners-up while at under-17 level Nigeria won the world championship in 1993, 2007, 2013 and 2015. Nigeria were the first African representatives at the FIFA Women’s World Cup and twice runners-up at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in 2010 and 2014. In 2022, Nigeria were third at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.