Super Eagles' passionate love affair with the AFCON Bronze medal

No nation has finished third at the Africa Cup of Nations more often than Nigeria, whose eight bronze medals stand as a unique record in the competition’s history.

The Super Eagles have also collected more total AFCON medals than any other African country, with bronze accounting for exactly half of that haul.

Across different generations, formats and host nations, Nigeria have repeatedly bounced back from semi-final disappointment to finish on the podium.

Each third-place finish tells a story of strong tournament runs, decisive players and crucial playoff victories that shaped Nigeria’s interesting AFCON identity.

The 1976 Africa Cup of Nations in Ethiopia was contested in a round-robin final group rather than knockout matches and led to Nigeria’s first-ever medal.

The Green Eagles as they were known at the time reached this decisive stage alongside Morocco, Guinea and Egypt after navigating the earlier phase with a disciplined and well-organised squad.

The Super Eagles found the margins extremely fine at this level, drawing one match and losing another, which effectively ended their hopes of finishing top of the table and claiming the title.

Key players such as Haruna Ilerika and Mudashiru Lawal played important roles as Nigeria looked to impose themselves against technically strong opponents.

After disappointment against Guinea and Morocco, the turning point for Nigeria came in their final match against Egypt, where they produced a spirited performance to win 3–2. That victory secured third place overall in the standings and confirmed Nigeria’s first AFCON bronze medal.

Morocco finished ahead to take the title, while Guinea placed second, denying Nigeria a higher finish.

AFCON 1978 in Ghana delivered one of the most unusual bronze-medal outcomes in the tournament’s history.

Nigeria progressed to the semi-finals after a strong group campaign, built around energetic wing play and intelligent movement in attack, with Segun Odegbami emerging as a key figure. Their semi-final defeat against Uganda ended hopes of reaching the final and placed them in the third-place match against Tunisia.

With the third-place playoff match finely balanced after Nigeria took the lead through Baba Otu Mohammed, Tunisia walked off the pitch in protest at an officiating decision and refused to return.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) subsequently awarded Nigeria a 2–0 victory, officially granting them the bronze medal.

Ghana and Uganda contested the final, with the Black Stars emerging victorious over the Cranes to claim gold.

The 1992 tournament in Senegal marked Nigeria’s return to the AFCON podium for the third consecutive tournament after back-to-back second-place finishes in 1988 and 1990.

Nigeria advanced from the group stage with maximum points against Senegal and Kenya and beat Zaire 1-0 in the quarterfinals before reaching the semi-finals, where they were stopped by Côte d’Ivoire in a tense contest decided on penalties.

That defeat redirected the Super Eagles into the third-place playoff against Cameroon. The match against Cameroon proved highly competitive, with both teams eager to finish the tournament positively after semifinal disappointments.

Nigeria won the bronze medal thanks to an 88th-minute Rashidi Yekini winner in an eventual 2–1 victory over the Indomitable Lions.

Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana contested the final, with the Ivorians triumphing on penalties for the second time in the tournament to claim gold.

AFCON 2002 in Mali saw Nigeria arrive with high expectations after impressive qualifying performances and a place in the final of the previous edition.

The Super Eagles advanced to the semi-finals following strong displays against Mali, Algeria, and Liberia in the group stage as well as Ghana in the quarterfinal.

Their progress was halted at the semifinals once again, this time, by Senegal, who edged a closely fought encounter thanks to a Salif Diao extra-time winner after Julius Aghahowa had pushed for a 30-minute extension with an 88th-minute equaliser.

Nigeria then faced tournament hosts Mali in the third-place match, played in front of a passionate home crowd. The pressure was intense, but Nigeria maintained composure throughout the contest. Yakubu Aiyegbeni scored the decisive goal, finishing calmly to silence the stadium and secure a 1–0 win.

Cameroon went on to lift the trophy, while Senegal finished runners-up, leaving Nigeria with another bronze medal.

The 2004 edition in Tunisia brought another deep run for Nigeria. The Super Eagles progressed through the group stage with confident performances against South Africa and Benin Republic despite losing the opening game to Morocco.

Led by icons Jay Jay Okocha and Kanu Nwankwo, and John Utaka, the Super Eagles defeated Cameroon in a keenly contested quarterfinal clash to set up a semifinal against hosts Tunisia.

Unfortunately, that was where Nigeria’s campaign stalled as they were beaten 5-3 on pealties by by hosts Tunisia, who benefited from the home support.

Nigeria regrouped for the third-place match against Mali once again, with goals from Okocha and Osaze Odemwinge ensuring the Super Eagles left North Africa with a medal.

Tunisia went on to defeat Morocco in the final with goals from tournament stars Franciluendo dos Santos and Zaid Jaziri, giving 60,000 supporters in the 7 November Stadium, Tunis, a lot to celebrate.

AFCON 2006 in Egypt featured one of the strongest host performances in the competition’s history, and Nigeria found themselves competing in a crowded field of contenders.

The Super Eagles were flawless in the group stages, winning nine points from nine as the likes of Okocha and Obafemi Martins ushered in a new generation of Nigerian talents, including John Mikel Obi, Taiye Taiwo, and Victor Obinna Nsofor, who proved their mettle in Egypt.

All three youngsters were instrumental as Nigeria avenged their 2004 semifinal loss to Tunisia in the semifinals, each scoring in the penalty shootout, while Nsofor also netted during normal time.

After reaching the semi-finals, the Super Eagles were beaten by Côte d’Ivoire, with a goal from Ivorian legend Dider Drogba proving decisive, ending their bid for a place in the final against Egypt.

Nigeria’s third-place match came against Senegal, another side with attacking quality and physical presence. The contest was tight, with few clear chances, but Nigeria came out on top as Garba Lawal scored the only goal of the match, securing a 1–0 win and the Super Eagles’ sixth bronze medal.

Egypt famously claimed the title with a nervy penalty shootout win, while Côte d’Ivoire finished second

The 2010 tournament in Angola followed a familiar pattern for Nigeria. The Super Eagles progressed from their group despite a loss to Egypt, and beat Zambia on penalties in the quarterfinal after goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama tucked away the deciding kick.

After advancing to the semifinal of yet another AFCON competition, the Super Eagles were stopped by neighbours Ghana, who edged a closely contested match with a goal from legend Asamoah Gyan.

Nigeria produced another redeeming display in the playoff, limiting Algeria’s attacking threat and taking their chance when it arrived.

Electric winger Obinna Nsofor scored the winning goal in a 1–0 victory, securing Nigeria’s seventh bronze medal.

Egypt went on to lift the trophy for the third time in a row, while Ghana, Nigeria’s conquerors finished as runners-up.

AFCON 2019 in Egypt delivered Nigeria’s most recent bronze medal. The Super Eagles progressed from the group stage despite a shock loss to minnows Madagascar, who topped the standings.

In the knockout stages, Nigeria looked to be coming into their own with strong performances from tournament top scorer Odion Ighalo, youngsters Alex Iwobi and Samuel Chukwueze, as well as future captain William Troost Ekong, leading them to round of 16 and quarterfinal victories over Cameroon and South Africa, respectively.

Sadly, Nigeria’s progress was halted in the semi-finals by Algeria, after Riyad Mahrez scored a late free-kick to book a place in the final.

Nigeria faced Tunisia in the third-place match and struck early through Odion Ighalo, winning 1–0 and adding an eighth bronze medal to their record.

Algeria went on to win the tournament, beating Senegal 1-0 thanks to a freak Baghdad Bounedjah goal in the second minute of the game.