Nigeria ended the 2025 sports year with a 3–1 Africa Cup of Nations win over Uganda on Tuesday, 30 December. It was a positive note, but it did little to hide the bigger problems that shaped Nigerian sports throughout the year.
Even with increased government spending, old issues persisted.
From football failures to athletics controversies and athletes switching nationality, 2025 again showed that deep-rooted problems remain.
However, in all of these, there were moments of pride, led largely by women’s teams who carried Nigeria’s flag with distinction.
PREMIUM TIMES highlights the key moments that defined Nigerian sports in 2025.
“Mission X” Accomplished
The Super Falcons were the country’s biggest success story. In July, they completed their “Mission X” by winning a record 10th Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title. The Falcons defeated hosts Morocco 3–2 in a thrilling final in Rabat, confirming their long-standing dominance of African women’s football.
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The title was a strong response to their fourth-place finish in 2022. Under coach Justine Madugu, the team looked organised and confident. Captain Rasheedat Ajibade was named the tournament’s best player, while goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie impressed throughout. The players were later rewarded with national honours, houses and cash gifts, a rare show of appreciation for women in Nigerian sports.
D’Tigress keep roaring
Nigeria’s women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, also stayed on top. After their historic run to the quarter-finals at the Paris 2024 Olympics, they went on to win a fifth straight FIBA Women’s AfroBasket title in August. They beat Mali 78–64 in the final in Abidjan, extending their unbeaten run at the tournament to ten years. The win also secured a place at the 2026 Women’s World Cup qualifiers, with Amy Okonkwo named the most valuable player.
Amusan stands tall
Athletics had a mixed year, but Tobi Amusan stood out. She won silver in the women’s 100m hurdles at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Nigeria’s only medal at the event.
Her success came despite ongoing issues within the sport, including disputes over equipment and administrative problems. Off the track, Nigeria’s image suffered as global bodies raised age-cheating concerns against the country.
More bright moments
There were other bright moments across sports. Nigeria made history in flag football by winning both the men’s and women’s titles at the first IFAF African Flag Football Championships in Cairo.
The achievement earned qualification for the 2026 World Championships and boosted hopes ahead of the sport’s Olympic debut in 2028.
In rugby league, the women’s team, the Green Falcons, reached the IRL Women’s World Series Final in Canada after beating Ireland on their debut. Although they lost the final to Fiji, the run marked real progress.
In April 2025, Nigerian chess champion and founder of Chess in Slums Africa, Tunde Onakoya, set a 64-hour chess marathon world record.
The new record set by Onakoya and his chess partner, Shawn Martinez, at Times Square, New York, broke the 61-hour record set by two Norwegian players, Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad, in June 2024.
Team Nigeria also recorded its best-ever finish at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh, ending eighth overall with 30 medals. At home, Delta State won the National Sports Festival for a fifth straight time, while Lagos State ended Delta’s youth dominance by winning the National Youth Games for the first time.
Significantly, Nigeria finished as the second-best nation globally at the World Para Powerlifting Championships in Egypt with 11 medals.
In its bid for sporting relevance, Nigeria hosted some historic competitions in 2025.
For five weeks, the city of Lagos, which has become the hub of table tennis in Nigeria and West Africa, hosted five consecutive international table tennis tournaments.
Also in 2025, Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State, welcomed the continent’s top young athletes as it hosted the 3rd African U18/U20 Athletics Championships.
Months later, the rocky town of Abeokuta also hosted the inaugural West African Para Games, a landmark event for the development of para sports and regional cooperation.
The Lows
The lows, however, were hard to ignore. The Super Eagles failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, missing the tournament for the second consecutive time after a penalty shootout loss to the DR Congo. It was a significant blow to Nigerian football and raised fresh questions about leadership and planning, especially with the bonus row during the playoffs in Morocco.
Athletics suffered more setbacks when sprint star Favour Ofili switched allegiance to Turkey after administrative mistakes cost her Olympic opportunities. Nigeria also missed the World Relays due to visa issues, denying athletes a key qualification route. Youth teams struggled too, with early exits and failures across age-grade competitions.
The Flamingos exited the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after a heavy 4–0 quarter-final defeat to Italy, falling short of building on their third-place finish at the previous edition.
The Flying Eagles followed a similar path, crashing out of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in the Round of 16 after a 4–0 loss to Argentina in Chile.
Perhaps most worrying was the fate of the Golden Eaglets. The five-time world champions failed to qualify for the 2025 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations after an unexpected early exit at the WAFU B qualifiers.
Men’s basketball had a disappointing year, finishing fifth at the AfroBasket, while Nigeria’s bid to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games failed. Funding problems also stopped some student-athletes from competing at the World University Games.
The year was further marked by tragedy. Nigeria lost several sports legends and athletes, including Peter Rufai, Christian Chukwu and 22 Kano athletes who died while returning from the National Sports Festival. A fatal road accident involving boxing star Anthony Joshua, in which he survived, but two people died, also cast a dark shadow late in the year.
Final word
Ultimately, 2025 showcased both the promise and the challenges in Nigerian sports. While the National Sports Commission made visible efforts to steady the system and support athletes, the results also showed that much more work is still needed.
Moments of success, often driven by individual brilliance, stood side by side with familiar challenges that continue to hinder Nigeria’s progress toward realising its full sporting potential.
