Football in Nigeria: The Five Biggest Wins in Nigerian Football History

Over the years, the senior national football team of Nigeria, the super eagles, has flown high and has enjoyed success in various tournaments and matches on the continent of Africa and beyond.

These accolades have bagged them multiple sponsorship deals in the past with brands such as SportyBet Nigeria, Tom Tom, and Nike, to mention but a few. The team’s massive victories are testaments to how lethal the forward line of the super eagles can be when they are on the form.

Biggest Wins in Nigerian Football History

Let’s take a look at the five of the biggest victories recorded by the men’s national team.

1. Nigeria 10-1 Dahomey (November 29, 1959)

This was indeed a memorable game in the history of the super eagles, as the scoreline served as the team’s biggest win for 63 years. The game served as the final of the Zone A portion of the Kwame Nkrumah cup and was played in Lagos, Nigeria. 

Nigeria, having pipped the then Dahomey (now known as Benin republic) 1-0 in the first leg, came to Lagos intending to make it out of the preliminary rounds of the cup, and they did so in emphatic fashion. Elkanah Onyeali scored four goals, with the likes of Abudu Buraimoh and Onyeanwuna each netting braces, while Daniel Okwudili and Dejo Fayemi scored a goal apiece.

2. Nigeria 7-0 Benin Republic (February 14, 1977)

Yet again, the Benin republic was on the receiving end of a rout, losing bitterly in a friendly game on Valentine’s Day in 1977. Indeed, there was no show of love by the Tiko Jelisavcic-led Eagles as they went on to exert dominance on their béninoise neighbors. 

Thompson Usiyen scored a hattrick, while Godwin Iwelimo bagged a brace. Samuel Ojebode and Alloysius Atuegbu also registered their name on the score sheet as the Nigerians scored seven unanswered goals.

3. Nigeria 7-1 Burkina Faso (July 27, 1991)

During the 1992 AFCON Qualifiers, Nigeria squared up against Burkina Faso in the second leg of the fixture at the national stadium in Surulere. Coming off a 1-1 draw in Ouagadougou, Nigeria were looking to defeat their opponents this time around, and they did it in grand style, winning 7-1 in the process. 

Rashidi Yekini, Friday Elaho, and Finidi George combined for seven goals, with Rashidi scoring Four goals on the day.

4. Nigeria 5-0 Georgia (June 11,1994)

Nigeria recording big wins haven’t only happened against African opponents, and they have also defeated teams from around the world. And on this occasion, they did it to the delight of teeming fans at the Liberty Stadium, Ibadan.

The late Shuaibu Amodu was the coach at the time. He led his boys to victory in the friendly fixture against Georgia, winning 5-0 with Rasheed Yekini, Samson Siasia, and Mutiu Adepoju all netting goals.

5. Nigeria 10-0 Sao Tome and Principe (June 13, 2022)

The biggest win in the History of the Super Eagles! Nigeria made light work of Sao Tome and Principe in a 2023 African nations qualifier that put them in a good place to qualify for the biennial showpiece in 2023. Nigeria’s striker, Victor Osimhen, scored four goals as the star of the day. 

At the same time, Terem Moffi netted twice, just as Oghenekaro Etebo, Simon Moses, and Ademola Lookman got one each in the tie. 

To conclude

Aside from these matches, there have also been games with heavy scorelines in favor of the Super Eagles. Nigeria demolished Sao Tome and Principe 10-0 stands as the biggest win in the country’s history. Score lines like these and many more have helped establish the super eagles as a powerhouse in African football and a formidable team in world football.

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