Choose your own Super Eagles World Cup legends XI — Nigeria’s greatest players from six tournaments

Nigeria will not be at the 2026 World Cup. It is a reality that still stings, and as the world prepares to descend on North America this summer, Super Eagles fans will watch on from the outside for the third time in four tournaments.

But Nigeria’s World Cup story is far richer than the absences suggest. The Super Eagles have qualified for six World Cup tournaments since their debut in 1994, advancing to the knockout stage three times — in 1994, 1998 and 2014.

In those six tournaments, they produced some of the most memorable moments and most gifted players African football has ever seen.

Here, Afrik Foot Nigeria gives you the chance to build your own Super Eagles World Cup legends XI — be sure to share your selections with friends and across social media.

Who are Super Eagles of Nigeria’s greatest World Cup legends?

Nigeria’s inaugural appearance at the 1994 World Cup in the United States was a breakthrough moment for African football. The Super Eagles topped a challenging Group D ahead of Argentina, advancing to the round of 16 after emphatic victories including a 3–0 win over Bulgaria.

Rashidi Yekini scored Nigeria’s first ever World Cup goal in that win and remains one of the most celebrated forwards in the nation’s history. The all-time leading scorer — who finished his international career with 37 goals — arrived at the 1994 tournament in the form of his life and gave Nigerian football its first truly iconic World Cup moment.

Jay-Jay Okocha is the name most Nigerian fans reach for first when discussing the greatest Super Eagle of all time.

The Paris Saint-Germain and Bolton Wanderers midfielder was a footballing genius—a player capable of doing things with a football that left opponents and teammates alike speechless.

He appeared at the 1994, 1998 and 2002 World Cups and remains the benchmark against which every Nigerian midfielder is measured.

Sunday Oliseh’s thunderous goal against Spain in the 1998 World Cup is one of Nigeria’s most famous goals—a thunderbolt struck from distance that announced the Super Eagles as genuine contenders on the world stage and sent Nigerian fans into raptures.

Finidi George brought Champions League pedigree to the national side. The winger won the UEFA Champions League with Ajax in 1995 and translated his club form to the international stage across two World Cups, providing craft, creativity and directness from the right flank that Nigeria have rarely replicated since.

Nwankwo Kanu, the Arsenal and Inter Milan striker, combined exceptional technical skill with an extraordinary football intelligence that made him one of the most unique players of his generation. His Olympic gold medal in 1996 is one of Nigerian football’s greatest achievements, and his World Cup contributions remain fondly remembered.

Peter Rufai was the commanding presence between the posts across 1994 and 1998 — a goalkeeper of real authority whose performances at both tournaments helped establish Nigeria as Africa’s leading force. Vincent Enyeama carried that tradition forward, captaining Nigeria to their third AFCON title in 2013 and producing some of the finest goalkeeping Africa has seen at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Joseph Yobo was the first Nigerian to earn 100 caps for the Super Eagles — a central defender of genuine quality who led his country with distinction across three World Cups despite the heartbreak of an own goal against France in 2014 that ended Nigeria’s campaign.

Ahmed Musa wrote himself into World Cup folklore in Brazil, scoring twice against Argentina in one of the tournament’s most breathless matches. His pace and directness on that afternoon made him the most talked-about Nigerian footballer on the planet for one extraordinary evening.

John Obi Mikel, Daniel Amokachi, Emmanuel Amunike, Taribo West and Victor Moses all have strong cases too — the debates among Nigerian football fans about who makes the XI are fierce, passionate and unlikely to be settled any time soon.

The 2026 World Cup will go on without Nigeria. But the legacy of the Super Eagles at the tournament belongs to the country forever. Pick your team — and tell us in the comments who makes your all-time XI.