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Nicknamed the 'Super Eagles', the Nigeria national football team
represents the West African country in international football
tournaments and competitions. It is controlled by the Nigeria Football
Federation (NFF) and is considered one of the best football sides in
Africa and beyond. In fact, in 1994 the Nigeria national football team
was ranked 5th in the world, its highest ranking to date. Currently the
squad is ranked third in Africa behind Egypt and Cameroon.
Nigeria has a long and historical football heritage as the game was
introduced by British colonialists in the 1930s. In 1949 the Nigeria
national football team played its first ever official game, and while
still a British colony, often played friendly games against
amateur English football clubs. In the 1976 and 1978 African Cup of
Nations, the Nigerian national football team finished second, while
going on to win the prestigious tournament in 1980. However, In the
1984 and 1988 African Cup of Nations, the team finished second to
Cameroon on both
occasions. As such, these two African football teams share
a fierce rivalry to this day.
In terms of its efforts in the FIFA World Cup, the first time the
Nigeria national football team entered the tournament was in 1962, but
failed to qualify. However, it finished ninth out of sixteen in the
1994 World Cup in the United
States, and twelfth out of sixteen in the 1998 World Cup in
France. In the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, the Nigerian
national football team was knocked out in Round 1. In 2009 the side
qualified for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
The team's head coach is Lars Lagerbäck, who up until 2009 coached
the Swedish national football team.
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