Nigeria has appointed German coach Bruno Labbadia as the new head of their men’s football team, marking a significant change after a challenging year with multiple coaching changes. The Nigeria Football Federation announced Labbadia’s appointment on social media, effective immediately, though the specifics of his contract were not disclosed.
Labbadia will begin his role just 12 days before Nigeria’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign starts with a home match against Benin in Uyo, followed by an away fixture in Rwanda. At 58, Labbadia brings extensive experience from managing in the Bundesliga, with past roles at Bayer Leverkusen, Hamburg, VfB Stuttgart, VfL Wolfsburg, and Hertha Berlin. This will be his first coaching position outside Germany.
Labbadia, who scored over 200 goals during his playing career, including a stint with Bayern Munich, succeeds Finidi George, who managed the team for four matches earlier this year.
Labbadia, who has represented Germany twice, will concentrate on leading Nigeria’s Super Eagles to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. As top seeds in their group, which includes Libya, Nigeria needs to finish in the top two to advance.
Starting next March, Labbadia will face the challenge of World Cup qualification. Currently, Nigeria is struggling in African qualifying Group C, having lost all four of their initial matches and sitting fifth out of six teams. However, with six more games remaining, they still have a chance to top the group and secure a spot in the 2026 World Cup in North America.
This rocky start is surprising given Nigeria’s impressive performance in reaching the Cup of Nations final in Ivory Coast earlier this year. Former Portuguese coach Jose Peseiro, who guided the team to their best Cup of Nations result since their 2013 victory, did not have his contract renewed and left following the tournament.
Nigeria has a history of hiring international coaches, including German World Cup champion Berti Vogts, Serbian Bora Milutinovic, and Brazilian Otto Gloria. The coaching position is known for its high demands from fans and frequent administrative challenges.
With three Africa Cup of Nations titles to their name and a track record of qualifying for six of the last eight World Cups, Nigeria was notably absent from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
