Bruno Labbadia Appointed as Head Coach of Nigeria’s Super Eagles

The Nigeria Football Federation has officially announced the appointment of Bruno Labbadia as the new head coach of the Super Eagles.

This position became vacant following the resignation of former Nigerian international Finidi George in June, who had a brief tenure, managing only two matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin.

With the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers approaching, the NFF recognized the urgency of appointing a new head coach. After thorough discussions and considerations, they finalized their decision on Labbadia.

The announcement was made public by Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, General Secretary of the NFF, in a statement released early Tuesday morning.

“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,” Sanusi stated. “The appointment is with immediate effect.”

Bruno Labbadia, now the 37th head coach of the Super Eagles, is also the sixth German coach to lead the three-time Africa Cup of Nations champions.

As a player, Labbadia competed for several clubs, including Darmstadt 98, Hamburger SV, FC Kaiserslautern, Bayern Munich, FC Cologne, Werder Bremen, Armenia Bielefeld, and Karlsruher SC.

Beginning his coaching career in Germany in 2003 with Darmstadt 98, Labbadia has held positions at various clubs, including Greuther Fürth, Bayer Leverkusen, Hamburger SV, VfB Stuttgart, VfL Wolfsburg, and Hertha BSC.

He will make his debut on the touchline when Nigeria hosts Rwanda at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo for the first match of the 2025 AFCON qualification campaign.