NFF confirms Eric Chelle will continue as Super Eagles coach after guiding Nigeria to AFCON 2025 bronze medal finish

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has confirmed that Eric Chelle will remain head coach of the Super Eagles following their bronze medal finish at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

Also read: Sadio Mané Named AFCON 2025 Man of the Tournament

NFF President Ibrahim Gusau said the team fell short of its goal of winning the tournament, losing to hosts Morocco in the semi-finals, but he praised Chelle’s leadership and the squad’s resilience.

“Actually, when we landed in Morocco towards the end of last year, our objective was to win the AFCON trophy and be the champions of Africa. Today, we finished in third place and won the bronze medals instead,” Gusau said. “We missed our target, but my joy is in the way our team played. They have shown zest, patriotic fervour, resilience, and character.”

Gusau noted that the Super Eagles’ captain and technical crew, under Chelle, have performed admirably, prompting the NFF to continue supporting and motivating the team.

“As the head of a hard-working technical crew, Mr. Chelle has done exceedingly well within the one year he has been with us. He has shown enormous capacity, and we will continue to work with him,” he added.

Chelle, speaking after Nigeria defeated Egypt 2-1 in the third-place playoff, said the result would have made it difficult to continue if the team had lost.

He indicated his commitment to building on the experience with NFF approval.

“We will build on this experience, and it will be the foundation for the next phase of work,” he said.

Reports suggest Chelle had received an offer to coach the Tunisian national team ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, following Tunisia’s Round of 16 exit at AFCON 2025 and the dismissal of head coach Sami Trabelsi.

However, NFF’s confirmation secures Chelle’s position with Nigeria for the foreseeable future.

Also read: Sadio Mané Named AFCON 2025 Man of the Tournament

The Super Eagles’ bronze medal marks Nigeria’s record-extending ninth podium finish at AFCON and continues their streak of never losing a third-place playoff.