The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has officially appointed German coach Bruno Labbadia as the new head coach of the Super Eagles, effective immediately.
Labbadia’s appointment was announced in a tweet from the NFF’s X handle, posted early Tuesday morning under the hashtag #thenff.
The announcement stated, “The Nigeria Football Federation has reached an agreement with German tactician Bruno Labbadia to become the Head Coach of Nigeria’s senior men’s national team, the Super Eagles.”
Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, the General Secretary of the NFF, added, “The NFF Executive Committee has approved the recommendation from its Technical and Development sub-committee to appoint Mr. Bruno Labbadia as the Head Coach of the Super Eagles.”
Labbadia takes over as the 37th Head Coach of the Super Eagles following the resignation of the previous coach, Finidi George, who was appointed in May 2024.
George stepped down after failing to secure convincing victories in two key matches during the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, leaving the team in fifth place in Group C with just three points. The Super Eagles drew 1-1 with South Africa and suffered a surprising 2-1 defeat to Benin Republic in Abidjan.
With Labbadia’s arrival, the three-time African champions aim to improve their chances of qualifying for future tournaments.
The Super Eagles are set to begin their African Cup of Nations qualifiers against Benin Republic on September 7, followed by a match against Rwanda three days later.
Born on February 8, 1966, Labbadia is a former Bayern Munich player and has previously managed several German clubs, including Darmstadt 98, VfB Stuttgart, and Bayer Leverkusen.
