Nigeria vs Madagascar: 5 Super Eagles & Barea clashes and what happened in each game

Nigeria vs Madagascar is one of the matches that will open the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign on Friday, Afrik-Foot reports.

The Super Eagles return to a fixture that has produced one of the biggest shocks in the AFCON history of Nigerian football.

Eric Chelle has named a 24-man squad for the qualifying campaign, including Alex Iwobi, Ola Aina, Ademola Lookman and Moses Simon. Nigeria will host the Barea at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo before travelling to face Guinea-Bissau four days later.

Nigeria and Madagascar have met five times at senior level. The Super Eagles have won three, drawn one and lost one, scoring five goals and conceding two. All five encounters came in AFCON competition, with four played in qualifying and the latest taking place at the 2019 tournament in Egypt.

The story of those five Nigeria vs Madagascar games begins with a quiet night in Antananarivo.

5 Nigeria vs Madagascar battles

2000: Madagascar 0-0 Nigeria

The first Nigeria vs Madagascar meeting came on October 7, 2000, during the qualifying race for the 2002 AFCON.

Nigeria travelled to Antananarivo for a Group 1 clash at the Alarobia Municipal Stadium, but neither side found the net.

The 0-0 draw gave both teams one point and left Nigeria waiting for their first goal against Madagascar.

Nigeria eventually finished top of the group with 14 points from six matches, while Madagascar collected five points and finished third.

2001: Akwuegbu settles it in four minutes

The return Nigeria vs Madagascar fixture in the same qualifying campaign produced the Super Eagles’ first victory over the Barea.

Nigeria defeated Madagascar 1-0 at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City on June 2, 2001.

Benedict Akwuegbu struck in the fourth minute, giving the Super Eagles an early lead they protected until the final whistle.

The result was important in Nigeria’s successful qualification campaign because the Super Eagles finished first in Group 1 without losing any of their six matches.

Akwuegbu’s early goal also ended the wait for Nigeria’s first goal against Madagascar after the goalless meeting eight months earlier.

2010: Martins and Eneramo strike in Calabar

The teams did not meet again until September 5, 2010, when they were drawn together in the qualifying competition for the 2012 AFCON.

Nigeria hosted Madagascar at the U.J. Esuene Stadium in Calabar and produced a 2-0 victory.

Obafemi Martins opened the scoring in the 20th minute before Michael Eneramo doubled Nigeria’s advantage in first-half stoppage time.

Both goals came before the interval, giving Nigeria a comfortable platform for the second half.

The win put Nigeria on three points in Group B alongside Guinea after the opening round of matches, while Madagascar started with no points.

The result also extended Nigeria’s unbeaten record against the Barea to three matches.

2011: Yobo and Nsofor win it again

The Super Eagles returned to Antananarivo on September 4, 2011, for the reverse Nigeria vs Madagascar fixture in the same AFCON qualifying campaign.

The match at Stade Mahamasina was goalless at half-time, but Nigeria broke through after the restart.

Captain Joseph Yobo put the Super Eagles ahead in the 68th minute before Obinna Nsofor added a second seven minutes later.

Nigeria’s 2-0 victory gave them three wins and one draw from their first four meetings with Madagascar.

More importantly, the Barea had still failed to score against Nigeria across those four games.

Nigeria finished second in Group B with 11 points, while Madagascar ended the campaign bottom with just one point.

Everything pointed towards Nigeria having the upper hand in the fixture.

Then came Alexandria.

2019: Madagascar turn the history upside down

#Nigeria face #Madagascar in a AFCON2027Q in Uyo on 25 September. The last fixture between both nations saw the Indian Ocean islanders pull off one of the great shocks of the AFCON tournament when they upset the Super Eagles 2-0 at the 2019 event in Egypt to finish top of Group B… pic.twitter.com/0LWYmBaGGd

— Olúwashínà Òkélèjì (@oluwashina) September 21, 2026

The fifth meeting was completely different. Nigeria and Madagascar met at the 2019 AFCON in Egypt on June 30, with both teams already in control of their own qualification for the knockout stage.

Madagascar stunned the Super Eagles 2-0 at Alexandria Stadium to win Group B with seven points, while Nigeria finished second on six.

Lalaina Nomenjanahary opened the scoring in the 13th minute after Nigeria struggled to play out from the back.

John Ogu’s under-hit pass allowed Nomenjanahary to steal possession, round the goalkeeper and finish into an empty net.

Madagascar then doubled their lead eight minutes after half-time when Carolus Andriamatsinoro’s long-range free-kick took a deflection off Wilfred Ndidi and went into the net.

Nigeria had more possession but could not turn it into enough danger, while Madagascar’s pressing caused problems throughout the game.

The defeat was Madagascar’s first victory over Nigeria and their first goals against the Super Eagles. It also gave the Barea top spot in a group containing Nigeria, Guinea and Burundi.

The Super Eagles finished that tournament with a bronze medal after losing in the semifinals to Algeria.