Eric Chelle, a former manager of Mali, has been named the next head coach of Nigeria’s men’s national team.
During the Super Eagles’ victorious 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifying campaign, Augustine Eguavoen served as interim manager.
Chelle, 47, was fired in June after leading the Eagles for little over two years as a former Mali international.
Last year, the West Africans advanced to the 2023 Afcon quarterfinals before losing to eventual winners Ivory Coast in extra time.
Jose Peseiro led Nigeria to second place, although he left as coach shortly after the tournament when his contract expired.
Chelle has been given “the responsibility of guiding the Super Eagles to earn a ticket to the 2026 Fifa World Cup finals,” according to a statement from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
The three-time continental winners have drawn three of their opening four Group C games and are without a victory in their World Cup qualifying campaign.
The Super Eagles will host bottom-place Zimbabwe in the upcoming round of matches in March after traveling to Kigali to play the Wasps. They now trail group leaders Rwanda by four points.
In the US, Mexico, and Canada, only the group winners are guaranteed a spot in the finals.
The duration of Chelle’s contract has not been revealed by the NFF.
“Fans anticipated a well-known coach.”
Isaiah Akinremi of BBC Sport Africa provides analysis in Lagos.
Supporters have had differing opinions about Eric Chelle’s hiring as the Super Eagles’ first non-Nigerian African coach.
It was anticipated that a well-known foreign coach will lead a team that includes elite players including 2023 champion Victor Osimhen and reigning African Player of the Year Ademola Lookman.
This decision comes after last year’s fruitless talks with former Sweden manager Janne Andersson and two-time Afcon champion Herve Renard, as well as the collapse of a deal with Bruno Labbadia.
Given Augustine Eguavoen’s accomplishment of qualifying for the 2025 Afcon in Morocco, several supporters contend that the team could have continued to be led by a Nigerian coach.
However, it’s possible that the NFF’s choice to look for a different leader was influenced by the lackluster outcomes under Finidi George before to that.
After guiding Mali to their first victory over the Super Eagles in half a century in a friendly match last March, Chelle became well-known.
Nigeria’s 2026 World Cup qualification campaign has gotten off to a bad start, so when preliminary matches start in March, Chelle will have to quickly win over a fervent fan base.
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