Next Super Eagles coach: World Cup quarterfinalist confirms positive talks with NFF

Published on by Emmanuel Ayamga

Former Sweden head coach Janne Andersson has confirmed holding talks with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) over becoming the next coach of the Super Eagles.

The Nigeria men's national team has been without a coach since June, when Finidi George stepped down from the role following the country’s draw and defeat to South Africa and Benin, respectively, in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

The Super Eagles are, therefore, set to go into next month’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying matches against Benin and Rwanda without a substantive coach, as the NFF remains on the hunt for Finidi’s replacement.

In recent weeks, some managers have been linked to the vacant position of Super Eagles coach, with Andersson and former Morocco boss Herve Renard said to be the leading candidates.

Janne Andersson flattered to be considered for Super Eagles coach role

Andersson has now confirmed that he has been contacted by the NFF over the Super Eagles coaching job and described Nigeria as a huge football nation.

The 61-year-old, who managed Sweden from 2016 to 2023, however, added that no deal has been reached yet.

Next Super Eagles coach: World Cup quarterfinalist confirms positive talks with NFF
Photo by IMAGO

“I can confirm that I have had a dialogue with the Nigeria Football Federation. It's a huge footballing nation so I'm extremely flattered to be in the running to be their next national team captain. Dialogue is ongoing and I don't really want to say more than that,” Andersson told Espressen.

“I have been in this industry for so long and know that things can happen in different ways. So we'll see what happens in the future. There is nothing that is clear at the moment. We'll see.”

As Sweden's coach, Janne Andersson qualified them for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the country’s first in 12 years, where they reached the quarterfinals. He also led them to the round of 16 of Euro 2020 but stepped down in November last year following Sweden's failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024.  

Next Super Eagles coach: World Cup quarterfinalist confirms positive talks with NFF

Emmanuel Ayamga

Emmanuel Ayamga is a Ghanaian journalist with a little over five years of experience writing about African football.

His articles and features have been published in renowned news media like Pulse Ghana, The Guardian, DW, Al Jazeera and Sportskeeda. His bylines can also be found in the UK journals World Soccer Magazine and These Football Times.