NFF appoint Finidi George as Nigeria's head coach with a mandate to qualify for Word Cup

FORMER SUPER Eagles winger Finidi George has been named as the new Super Eagles head coach by the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) with a mandate to qualify the team for the 2026 World Cup starting with a qualifier against South Africa in June.

Findi, 53, worked under former coach Jose Peseiro and took temporary charge of the team for the last two friendly games in March. In that his first baptism of fire, Finidi's results were mixed as Nigeria secured a 2-1 victory over Ghana and then went on to suffer a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Mali.

Since February, Nigeria has been looking for a new coach after Mr Peseiro's contract ended and a few big names were on a shortlist. However, it appears that funding the payment of a top coach's salary presented an obstacle that could not be overcome, forcing tie NFF to opt for a local coach, who it could afford.

An NFF spokesman said: “The board of Nigeria Football Federation on Monday approved the recommendation of its technical and development committee to appoint former ace winger Finidi George as head coach of the senior men's national football team, the Super Eagles.”

Finidi, who served as assistant to Mr Peseiro for a total of 20 months, was a prominent member of Nigeria’s golden generation that won the Africa Cup of Nations title in 1994. They then represented Africa at the Fifa World Cup finals in the same year, where the team emerged as the second most entertaining side in their debut appearance.

His immediate task will be to get Nigeria’s 2026 World Cup qualification campaign back on track after surprise 1-1 draws with tiny Lesotho at home and away to Zimbabwe in neutral Rwanda. Nigeria's Super Eagles face South Africa in Uyo and Benin Republic in neutral Ivory Coast in early June.

At club level, Finidi won the 1995 Uefa Champions League with Ajax Amsterdam. He later plated ion Spain with Real Betis and Real Mallorca and had a brief spell in the English Premier league with Ipswich Town.