Updated: NFF Appoints Bruno Labbadia as New Super Eagles Coach

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has officially named German coach Bruno Labbadia as the new head coach of the Super Eagles. The announcement was made via an early morning tweet from the NFF’s X (formerly Twitter) account on Tuesday, under the handle #thenff.

“The Nigeria Football Federation is pleased to confirm that it 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,” the statement read.

NFF General Secretary Dr. Mohammed Sanusi elaborated, “The NFF Executive Committee has approved the recommendation of its Technical and Development sub-committee to appoint Mr. Bruno Labbadia as the Head Coach of the Super Eagles.”

Labbadia, who replaces Finidi George following his resignation, becomes the 37th coach of the Super Eagles. George, who was appointed in May 2024, struggled to secure decisive victories, leaving the team in fifth place with just three points in Group C of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The Eagles drew 1-1 with South Africa and suffered a surprising 2-1 defeat to Benin Republic in Abidjan.

With Labbadia at the helm, the three-time African champions are hopeful to enhance their chances of World Cup qualification. The team is set to begin their African Cup of Nations qualifiers with a match against Benin Republic on September 7, followed by a game against Rwanda three days later.

Born on February 8, 1966, Labbadia is a former Bayern Munich player and has managed several German clubs, including Darmstadt 98, VfB Stuttgart, and Bayer Leverkusen.