Nigeria Appoints Bruno Labbadia as New Head Coach for World Cup Qualifying

Nigeria has appointed German coach Bruno Labbadia as the head coach of the men's national soccer team in a bid to enhance their World Cup qualifying prospects. The announcement was made on Tuesday by Mohammed Sanusi, the general secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

Labbadia, 58, had been out of work since April 2023 after his dismissal from Stuttgart, where he struggled to prevent the team's decline in the Bundesliga. Currently, Nigeria is positioned second from bottom in their 2026 World Cup qualifying group, having failed to secure a win in their opening four matches.

The Super Eagles had drawn 1-1 with Lesotho and Zimbabwe in November last year. Under the leadership of Portuguese coach Jose Peseiro, the team reached the final of the Africa Cup of Nations but lost to Ivory Coast in February. Following Peseiro's departure, Finidi George, previously Peseiro's assistant, was promoted to head coach in April. However, George was unable to improve the team's performance, overseeing a 1-1 draw with South Africa and a 2-1 defeat in Benin in June. George reportedly resigned after not being consulted about the appointment of a technical advisor, although the NFF did not publicly confirm his resignation.

Labbadia's previous coaching roles include positions with Hertha Berlin, Wolfsburg, Hamburger SV, Bayer Leverkusen, and Darmstadt. His time at Stuttgart included only two wins from 12 games, one in the league and one in the German Cup. His successor, Sebastian Hoeness, managed to avoid relegation for Stuttgart and achieved a club-record points total last season.

Labbadia will begin his tenure with Nigeria in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Benin and Rwanda on September 7 and 10, respectively.