# History of Football in Nigeria

> Football arrived in Nigeria under British colonial rule, with the earliest recorded international an 1938 friendly against the Gold Coast. The national men's team progressed from Red Devils to Green Eagles (1960) to Super Eagles (1988), winning three Africa Cup of Nations titles (1980, 1994, 2013), while the Super Falcons became the tournament's most decorated women's side, with ten continental titles.

**Category:** Sports · **Updated:** 2026-07-26 19:36:35 · **Canonical:** https://nigeriastuff.org/a/history-of-football-in-nigeria

## Key facts
- **Governing body founded:** Nigeria Football Association, 21 August 1945
- **Earliest recorded international:** vs Gold Coast, Lagos, 1938
- **Nickname history:** Red Devils → Green Eagles (1960) → Super Eagles (1988)
- **CAF / FIFA affiliation:** CAF member 1959; FIFA member 1960
- **AFCON titles (men):** 3 — 1980, 1994, 2013
- **WAFCON titles (women):** 10, most recent final played 26 July 2025
- **First AFCON title:** 1980, hosted in Lagos, beat Algeria 3–0

## Sources
- Remembering the original Super Eagles — Mail & Guardian (https://mg.co.za/news/africa/2020-06-04-remembering-the-original-super-eagles/)
- The first Nigerian national football team and the history of development — All Nigeria Soccer / Vanguard (Super Eagles at 75) (https://www.vanguardngr.com/2024/06/super-eagles-75-how-the-journey-started/)
- AFCON: How IBB renamed Nigeria's national football team Green Eagles Super Eagles — Legit.ng (https://www.legit.ng/nigeria/1691849-afcon-how-ibb-renamed-nigerias-national-football-team-green-eagles-super-eagles/)
- History of the Nigeria Football Federation — Isagoal (https://isagoal.com/history-of-the-nigeria-football-federation/)
- Nigeria's First Africa Cup of Nations Title: The 1980 Triumph in Lagos — Historical Nigeria (https://historicalnigeria.com/nigerias-first-africa-cup-of-nations-title-the-1980-triumph-in-lagos/)
- 1980 AFCON heroes relish title on 46th anniversary — Punch Nigeria (https://punchng.com/1980-afcon-heroes-relish-title-on-46th-anniversary/)
- Nigeria v Zambia, 1994 African Cup of Nations Final — athlet.org (https://athlet.org/football/can/1994/finals/second-round/1994-04-10-nigeria-zambia.html)
- WAFCON 2024: Nigeria complete comeback vs Morocco to secure 10th title — Yahoo Sports (https://sports.yahoo.com/article/wafcon-2024-nigeria-complete-comeback-183000182.html)
- Ten Titles, One Legacy: Nigeria's Super Falcons Reign Supreme At WAFCON 2024 — Forbes (https://www.forbes.com/sites/sindiswamabunda/2025/07/27/ten-titles-one-legacy-nigerias-super-falcons-reign-supreme-at-wafcon-2024/)

_NigeriaStuff.org — free encyclopedic reference on Nigeria. Full article at the canonical URL above._