Hours after the euphoria of the Super Eagles’ 2-0 victory over Rwanda in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers faded on Friday, March 21, attention shifted to the match venue — Amahoro National Stadium in Kigali — where Victor Osimhen’s brace secured Nigeria’s first win on Rwandan soil in their fourth attempt.

Osimhen’s brilliance, the Super Eagles’ precarious qualifying hopes, and their largely unconvincing — but not unexpected — start under Eric Chelle all made for lively post-match discussions, until the ultra-modern Amahoro Stadium triggered a comparison to Nigeria’s facilities.

Originally a 25,000-capacity stadium, Amahoro underwent a $165 million renovation between 2022 and 2024. The two-year project increased its capacity to 45,000 seats and introduced various multipurpose, international-standard facilities, including rugby pitches, athletics tracks, and a hybrid grass football pitch. The stadium’s transformation was so impressive, Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong described it as “the best stadium I’ve seen in Africa.”

Far from an exception, Ekong’s remark underscores Africa’s growing investment in world-class sporting infrastructure. The continent now boasts several ultra-modern, multipurpose stadiums. Côte d’Ivoire alone parades no less than five top-tier venues, all of which were pivotal to AFCON 2023’s success. Senegal, in preparation for the 2026 Summer Youth Olympic Games — the first Olympic event on African soil  — has intensified investments in its facilities. South Africa, bolstered by its thriving domestic league and the legacy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, remains home to some of the continent’s best stadiums. Meanwhile, North African nations remain ahead of the curve, with Morocco at the forefront. Morocco has positioned itself as a premier destination for African and global tournaments, securing hosting rights for the 2024 WAFCON, 2025 AFCON, and the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which it’ll co-host with Spain and Portugal.

These nations are Nigeria’s peers in key metrics defining continental leaders. However, the West African giant has failed to complement its nationwide sporting interest with standard facilities that enhance growth across the board. Across Nigeria’s 36 states, only the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, also known as the Nest of Champions, comes close to world-class standards.

Other major venues in Nigeria, from the oldest ground, the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Onikan, Lagos, to the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium in Benin City, the MKO Abiola National Stadium in Abuja, the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna, and the Teslim Balogun National Stadium in Surulere and others, have lost their allure and relevance. Many now lie in disrepair due to neglect, vandalism, or obsolescence. Take, for example, the Surulere National Stadium, the very ground that hosted the 1973 All-Africa Games and where Nigeria won its first AFCON trophy in 1980. Its current state is a glaring reminder of the poor maintenance culture eating deep into existing structures and the zero will for restoration.

This scarcity of options has made the Nest of Champions the preferred ground for international fixtures despite its shortcomings and the looming risk of decline, much like other once-prominent stadiums.

The toll of Nigeria’s deteriorating sporting infrastructure goes beyond missed opportunities to host or co-host major international tournaments. It also hinders the country’s ability to translate widespread sporting enthusiasm into tangible developmental gains, particularly at the grassroots level beyond football.

The limited interest of Nigerians in other sports beyond football isn’t merely a demographic. trend. While grassroots football can thrive with the most basic facilities, other sports require more specialised infrastructure, a lifeline as rare as a full moon in daylight in the country. Moreover, relying on a single stadium for international fixtures does little to fully harness audience engagement. The economic potential, visibility, and accessibility of Uyo cannot compare to the country’s capital, Abuja, or its economic hub, Lagos.

This problem also extends to privately owned institutions. Most NPFL sides, for instance, are forced to adopt alternative home grounds for their continental fixtures due to their usual venues failing to meet CAF standards. It doesn’t help that many of these private clubs are suffering from the same disregard for excellence that plagues governmental bodies. Remo Stars, one of the few privately owned clubs in Nigeria’s top-flight league, is being hailed as an infrastructure trailblazer for barely moving the needle with a 5,000-capacity stadium and was practically given a victory parade for being the first side to install LED perimeter boards.

It’s not that these are inadmissible developments, but their acceptance at the country’s highest level in 2025 feels more like an indictment of its infrastructure, if anything. But perhaps the ugliest reality of this situation is that, unlike other sporting and general challenges that privatisation could address, Nigeria’s decaying and scarcely existent sporting infrastructure is an issue that the government must prioritise before any meaningful progress can be made.