Football · Super Eagles · AFCON
AFCON and Olympic Football
Three African titles, 16 AFCON medals and Olympic gold in Atlanta.
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Checked 30 September 2026
Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations
Nigeria have won the Africa Cup of Nations three times (1980, 1994 and 2013), been runners-up five times and finished third eight times, a total of 16 medals from 21 appearances, the best medal record in the tournament’s history.
| Year | Final | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Nigeria 3-0 Algeria, Lagos | Odegbami 2, Lawal. Captain Christian Chukwu; coach Otto Glória. |
| 1984 | Cameroon 3-1 Nigeria, Abidjan | Runners-up |
| 1988 | Cameroon 1-0 Nigeria, Casablanca | Runners-up; the Green Eagles became the Super Eagles |
| 1990 | Algeria 1-0 Nigeria, Algiers | Runners-up |
| 1994 | Nigeria 2-1 Zambia, Tunis | Amunike 2. Captain Stephen Keshi; coach Clemens Westerhof. |
| 2000 | Cameroon 2-2 Nigeria (Cameroon won on penalties), Lagos | Runners-up as co-hosts |
| 2013 | Nigeria 1-0 Burkina Faso, Johannesburg | Sunday Mba. Coach Stephen Keshi, who also won it as captain. |
| 2023 | Côte d’Ivoire 2-1 Nigeria, Abidjan (played 2024) | Runners-up; Troost-Ekong scored and was player of the tournament |
Two captains of the Green Eagles and Super Eagles became legends: Christian Chukwu, who lifted the 1980 trophy and died on 12 April 2025, and Stephen Keshi, captain in 1994 and coach in 2013, one of only two men to win AFCON as player and coach.
Olympic football
At Atlanta 1996 Nigeria’s “Dream Team” of Kanu, Okocha, Amokachi, Babayaro, West and Amunike came from behind to beat Brazil and Argentina, and became the first African nation to win Olympic football gold.
| Games | Result | Key facts |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 Atlanta | Gold | Beat Mexico 2-0, Brazil 4-3 (Kanu golden goal) and Argentina 3-2 (Amunike, 89th minute). Africa’s first Olympic football gold. |
| 2008 Beijing | Silver | Lost the final 1-0 to Argentina. |
| 2016 Rio | Bronze | Beat Honduras 3-2 for bronze, with coach Samson Siasia and captain Mikel. |
African Games and Commonwealth Games
Nigeria won the football gold at the 1973 All-Africa Games in Lagos, and the Super Falcons won the women’s tournament at the African Games in 2003 and 2007. Football is not part of the Commonwealth Games programme.
Keep reading
Football in Nigeria
Nigeria’s favourite sport and its national teams.Read more
History of Nigerian football
From the barefoot 1949 tour to Olympic gold.Read more
Super Eagles
Nigeria’s men’s team: 3 AFCON titles, 6 World Cups.Read more
Super Eagles at the World Cup
Every World Cup from USA 1994 to Russia 2018.Read more
Super Eagles stadiums
The MKO Abiola Stadium in Abuja and other home grounds.Read more
Super Falcons
Africa’s queens: 10 continental titles.Read more
Nigeria’s youth teams
Golden Eaglets, Flying Eagles, Flamingos and Falconets.Read more
Golden Eaglets (U-17)
Five-time FIFA U-17 world champions.Read more
Flying Eagles (U-20)
Two World Cup finals and the Miracle of Dammam.Read more
Flamingos (women’s U-17)
World Cup bronze in 2022.Read more
Falconets (women’s U-20)
Two World Cup finals, 2010 and 2014.Read more
Nigerian footballers
Kanu, Okocha, Yekini, Osimhen, Oshoala and more.Read more
Nigerians in the Premier League
Weekly tracker: Iwobi, Bassey, Saka, Eze and every Nigerian in the EPL.Read more
Nigerians in Europe
Weekly tracker: Osimhen, Lookman, Ndidi, Ajibade and more.Read more
Rising Stars
The next generation of Nigerian football, updated weekly.Read more
Contact the NFF
Nigeria Football Federation, Abuja.Read more
Quick answers
AFCON and Olympics: quick answers
How many times have Nigeria won AFCON?
Three times: 1980, 1994 and 2013. They have also been runners-up five times (most recently in 2023) and third eight times (most recently in 2025).
Who scored for Nigeria in the 2013 AFCON final?
Sunday Mba, in a 1-0 win over Burkina Faso at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg on 10 February 2013.
Who won the 1996 Olympic football gold?
Nigeria. They beat Brazil 4-3 with a golden goal from Nwankwo Kanu in the semi-final, then Argentina 3-2 in the final, with Emmanuel Amunike scoring the winner.