# Nigeria at the FIFA World Cup

The FIFA World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the first tournament in 1930, except in 1942 and 1946, due to World War II.
The tournament consists of two parts, the qualification phase and the final phase (officially called the World Cup Finals). The qualification phase, which currently take place over the three years preceding the Finals, is used to determine which teams qualify for the Finals. The current format of the Finals involves 32 teams competing for the title, at venues within the host nation (or nations) over a period of about a month. The World Cup Finals is the most widely viewed sporting event in the world, with an estimated 715.1 million people watching the 2006 tournament final.
Nigeria has reached the FIFA World Cup on six occasions, the first being in 1994 where they reached the second round. Their sixth and most recent appearance was the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

## FIFA World Cup record

FIFA World Cup record :
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
| 1930 | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom |
| 1934 | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom |
| 1938 | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom |
| 1950 | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom |
| 1954 | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom |
| 1958 | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom | Part of United Kingdom |
| 1962 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 1966 | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew | Withdrew |
| 1970 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 1974 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 1978 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 1982 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 1986 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 1990 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 1994 | Round of 16 | 9th | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 4 |
| 1998 | Round of 16 | 12th | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 9 |
| 2002 | Group stage | 27th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 2006 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2010 | Group stage | 27th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 2014 | Round of 16 | 16th | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 2018 | Group stage | 21st | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 2022 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2026 | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined |
| 2030 | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined |
| 2034 | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined | To be determined |
| Total | Round of 16 | 6/22 | 21 | 6 | 3 | 12 | 23 | 30 |

### Notes

* ↑ All African nations withdrew due to a lack of qualifying berths.

## Head-to-head record

| Opponent | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % |
| Argentina | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 9 | −5 | 000.00 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 100.00 |
| Bulgaria | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 100.00 |
| Croatia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 | 000.00 |
| Denmark | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 000.00 |
| England | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | 000.00 |
| France | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 | 000.00 |
| Greece | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 050.00 |
| Iceland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 100.00 |
| Iran | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 | 000.00 |
| Italy | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 000.00 |
| Paraguay | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 000.00 |
| South Korea | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | +0 | 000.00 |
| Spain | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 100.00 |
| Sweden | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 000.00 |
| Total | 21 | 6 | 3 | 12 | 23 | 30 | −7 | 028.57 |

## By match

| World Cup | Round | Opponent | Score | Result | Venue | Nigeria scorers |
| 1994 | Group D | Bulgaria | 3–0 | W | Dallas | Yekini, Amokachi, Amuneke |
| 1994 | Group D | Argentina | 1–2 | L | Foxborough | Siasia |
| 1994 | Group D | Greece | 2–0 | W | Foxborough | George, Amokachi |
| 1994 | Round of 16 | Italy | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | L | Foxborough | Amuneke |
| 1998 | Group D | Spain | 3–2 | W | Nantes | Adepoju, Zubizarreta (o.g.), Oliseh |
| 1998 | Group D | Bulgaria | 1–0 | W | Paris | Ikpeba |
| 1998 | Group D | Paraguay | 1–3 | L | Toulouse | Oruma |
| 1998 | Round of 16 | Denmark | 1–4 | L | Saint-Denis | Babangida |
| 2002 | Group F | Argentina | 0–1 | L | Ibaraki | — |
| 2002 | Group F | Sweden | 1–2 | L | Kobe | Aghahowa |
| 2002 | Group F | England | 0–0 | D | Osaka | — |
| 2010 | Group B | Argentina | 0–1 | L | Johannesburg | — |
| 2010 | Group B | Greece | 1–2 | L | Bloemfontein | Uche |
| 2010 | Group B | South Korea | 2–2 | D | Durban | Uche, Yakubu (pen.) |
| 2014 | Group F | Iran | 0–0 | D | Curitiba | — |
| 2014 | Group F | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1–0 | W | Cuiabá | Odemwingie |
| 2014 | Group F | Argentina | 2–3 | L | Porto Alegre | Musa (2) |
| 2014 | Round of 16 | France | 0–2 | L | Brasília | — |
| 2018 | Group D | Croatia | 0–2 | L | Kaliningrad | — |
| 2018 | Group D | Iceland | 2–0 | W | Volgograd | Musa (2) |
| 2018 | Group D | Argentina | 1–2 | L | Saint Petersburg | Moses (pen.) |

## Squads

Nigeria squads – FIFA World Cup :
vteNigeria squad – 1994 FIFA World Cup
1 Rufai (c)
2 Eguavoen
3 Iroha
4 Keshi
5 Uche
6 Nwanu
7 George
8 Oliha
9 Yekini
10 Okocha
11 Amunike
12 Siasia
13 Ezeugo
14 Amokachi
15 Oliseh
16 Agu
17 Ikpeba
18 Ekoku
19 Emenalo
20 Okafor
21 Adepoju
22 Agbonavbare
Coach: Westerhof
vteNigeria squad – 1998 FIFA World Cup
1 Rufai
2 Oparaku
3 Babayaro
4 Kanu
5 Uche (c)
6 West
7 Finidi
8 Adepoju
9 Yekini
10 Okocha
11 Lawal
12 W. Okpara
13 Babangida
14 Amokachi
15 Oliseh
16 Okafor
17 Eguavoen
18 Oruma
19 Iroha
20 Ikpeba
21 G. Okpara
22 Baruwa
Coach: Milutinović
vteNigeria squad – 2002 FIFA World Cup
1 Shorunmu
2 Yobo
3 Babayaro
4 Kanu
5 Okoronkwo
6 West
7 Ikedia
8 Adepoju
9 Ogbeche
10 Okocha (c)
11 Lawal
12 Ejide
13 Afolabi
14 Udeze
15 Justice
16 Sodje
17 Aghahowa
18 Akwuegbu
19 Ejiofor
20 Obiorah
21 Utaka
22 Enyeama
23 Opabunmi
Coach: Onigbinde
vteNigeria squad – 2010 FIFA World Cup
1 Enyeama
2 Yobo
3 Taiwo
4 Kanu (c)
5 Afolabi
6 Shittu
7 Utaka
8 Yakubu
9 Martins
10 Ideye
11 Odemwingie
12 Uche
13 Yussuf
14 Kaita
15 Haruna
16 Ejide
17 Odiah
18 Obinna
19 Obasi
20 Etuhu
21 Echiéjilé
22 Adeleye
23 Aiyenugba
Coach: Lagerbäck
vteNigeria squad – 2014 FIFA World Cup
1 Enyeama
2 Yobo (c)
3 Uzoenyi
4 Gabriel
5 Ambrose
6 Egwuekwe
7 Musa
8 Odemwingie
9 Emenike
10 Mikel
11 Moses
12 Odunlami
13 Oshaniwa
14 Oboabona
15 Azeez
16 Ejide
17 Onazi
18 Babatunde
19 Nwofor
20 Uchebo
21 Agbim
22 Omeruo
23 Ameobi
Coach: Keshi
vteNigeria squad – 2018 FIFA World Cup
1 Ezenwa
2 Idowu
3 Echiéjilé
4 Ndidi
5 Troost-Ekong
6 Balogun
7 Musa
8 Etebo
9 Ighalo
10 Mikel (c)
11 Moses
12 Abdullahi
13 Simy
14 Ịheanachọ
15 Obi
16 Akpeyi
17 Onazi
18 Iwobi
19 Ogu
20 Awaziem
21 Ebuehi
22 Omeruo
23 Uzoho
Coach: Rohr :

## Most appearances

| Rank | Player | Matches | World Cups |
| 1 | Joseph Yobo | 10 | 2002, 2010 and 2014 |
| 2 | Jay-Jay Okocha | 9 | 1994, 1998 and 2002 |
| 3 | Finidi George | 8 | 1994 and 1998 |
| 3 | Sunday Oliseh | 8 | 1994 and 1998 |
| 3 | Peter Rufai | 8 | 1994 and 1998 |
| 3 | Rashidi Yekini | 8 | 1994 and 1998 |
| 3 | Vincent Enyeama | 8 | 2002, 2010 and 2014 |
| 8 | Mutiu Adepoju | 7 | 1994 and 1998 |
| 8 | Uche Okechukwu | 7 | 1994 and 1998 |
| 8 | John Obi Mikel | 7 | 2014 and 2018 |
| 8 | Ahmed Musa | 7 | 2014 and 2018 |

## Top goalscorers

| Rank | Player | Goals | World Cups |
| 1 | Ahmed Musa | 4 | 2014 (2) and 2018 (2) |
| 2 | Daniel Amokachi | 2 | 1994 |
| 2 | Emmanuel Amunike | 2 | 1994 |
| 2 | Kalu Uche | 2 | 2010 |
| 5 | Finidi George | 1 | 1994 |
| 5 | Samson Siasia | 1 | 1994 |
| 5 | Rashidi Yekini | 1 | 1994 |
| 5 | Mutiu Adepoju | 1 | 1998 |
| 5 | Tijani Babangida | 1 | 1998 |
| 5 | Victor Ikpeba | 1 | 1998 |
| 5 | Sunday Oliseh | 1 | 1998 |
| 5 | Wilson Oruma | 1 | 1998 |
| 5 | Julius Aghahowa | 1 | 2002 |
| 5 | Yakubu | 1 | 2010 |
| 5 | Peter Odemwingie | 1 | 2014 |
| 5 | Victor Moses | 1 | 2018 |