The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has confirmed that German tactician Bruno Labbadia will assume the role of Head Coach of Nigeria’s Senior Men’s National Team, the Super Eagles.

In a statement released early on Tuesday, NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, said, “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. The appointment is effective immediately.”

Born in Darmstadt, Germany, on 8th February 1966, Labbadia earned two caps for the German national team during a playing career that saw him represent clubs such as Darmstadt 98, Hamburger SV, FC Kaiserslautern, Bayern Munich, FC Cologne, Werder Bremen, Arminia Bielefeld, and Karlsruher SC. He won the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich as a player in 1994.

Labbadia has managed notable clubs such as Hertha Berlin and VfB Stuttgart in recent years, and previously, VfL Wolfsburg, Hamburger SV, and Bayer Leverkusen, among others. He holds a UEFA Pro License.

Labbadia is the sixth German to lead the Super Eagles, following in the footsteps of Karl-Heinz Marotzke (who had two stints between 1970 and 1974), Gottlieb Göller (1981), Manfred Höner (1988-1989), Berti Vogts (2007-2008), and Gernot Rohr (2016-2021). Höner guided the Eagles to the runner-up position at the 1988 Africa Cup of Nations, while Rohr led Nigeria to the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals in Russia.

Labbadia’s immediate task is to prepare the three-time African champions for two 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying matches against Benin Republic (Saturday, 7th September in Uyo) and Rwanda (Tuesday, 10th September in Kigali). Four additional matches to conclude the qualifying campaign will follow in October and November.

His appointment follows the Super Eagles’ recent draw against familiar rivals, the Benin Republic, in the qualification race for the 2025 AFCON. In Group D, the Super Eagles face Benin Republic, who defeated them recently in a 2026 World Cup qualifier.

During the draw ceremony held in Johannesburg, South Africa last month, it was confirmed that Nigeria will also play Libya and Rwanda – both of whom are part of the Super Eagles’ group for the race to the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.

The AFCON qualifiers will run from September to November 2025, with the competition itself scheduled to take place between 21st December 2025 and 18th January 2026.