Nigeria national badminton team

History

Men's team

Nigeria's men's team first competed in the 1979 WBF World Championships. The team were drawn into Group 2 with Pakistan, Nepal and Ghana. The team lost 5−0 to Pakistan and 3−2 to Nepal in the group stage. In the classification round, the team defeated the Philippines 3−2 to finish in 10th place. In 1980, the team won the men's team event at the 1980 African Badminton Championships in Beira. In 1982, Nigeria hosted the 1982 African Badminton Championships and won their second title in the men's team event. In 1988, the team won their third men's team title at the 1988 African Badminton Championships on home soil. In 1990, the team failed to qualify for the Thomas Cup after losing their matches in the group stage.

In 2008, the team defeated South Africa 3−0 in the final of the African qualifiers and qualified for the Thomas Cup for the first time. In the 2008 Thomas Cup, the team were drawn into Group A with China and Canada. The team placed third in the group after losing 5−0 to both teams. In the wild-card round, the team lost 3−0 to England and failed to enter the quarter-finals.

In 2010, the team qualified for the Thomas Cup for a second time after defeating Mauritius 3−0 in the finals. In the 2010 Thomas Cup, the team were drawn into Group B with Japan and hosts Malaysia. In their first match against the hosts, the team failed to show up to the venue in time due to flight problems. The match was then cancelled and Malaysia were awarded a 5−0 win against Nigeria. In their second match against Japan, the team lost 5−0 and were eliminated in the group stages. In 2012, the team failed to qualify for the 2012 Thomas Cup after losing to South Africa in the final of the African qualifiers.

In 2014, the team qualified for the 2014 Thomas Cup as the highest ranked team in Africa. The team were drawn into Group A with Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore. The team were eliminated after losing 5−0 to Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore. In 2018, the team were runners-up at the African Men's Team Championships, losing 3−2 to Algeria in the final. In 2024, the team entered the finals of the African Men's Team Championships and went head to head against their final opponents from six years ago. The team started off with a 2−0 lead when Victor Ikechukwu and Anuoluwapo Juwon Opeyori defeated Koceila Mammeri and Youcef Sabri Medel in the singles matches respectively. The team however could not convert in the next three matches and lost 3−2 to Algeria.

Women's team

In 1980, Nigeria finished behind Zimbabwe in the women's team event at the 1980 African Badminton Championships. In 1982, the team won the women's team title at the 1982 African Badminton Championships. In 1988, the team won their third title in the 1988 African Badminton Championships. In 1990 and 1998, the team were eliminated in the group stages of the Uber Cup qualifiers. From 2010 to 2016, the team entered the semi-finals of the Uber Cup African qualifiers but failed to qualify for the Cup tournament.

In 2018, the team lost 3−0 to Mauritius in the final of the 2018 African Women's Team Championships. In 2024, the team entered the semi-finals of the 2024 African Women's Team Championships but lost 3−2 to South Africa.

Mixed team

Nigeria were back-to-back champions of the mixed team event at the African Badminton Championships in 1980 and 1982. In 1988, Nigeria won the mixed team event again at the African championships since their withdrawal in 1984. In the 1992 African Badminton Championships, the Nigerian team entered the final but refused to play against South Africa who have just returned from suspension. The team were runners-up by default. In 1991, the team withdrew from competing in the 1991 Sudirman Cup. In 1994, the team were bronze medalists at the 1994 African Badminton Championships after losing to South Africa in the semi-finals. The team also competed in the 1994 Commonwealth Games in that same year but were eliminated in the group stages.

In 1999, the team competed in the Sudirman Cup for the first time. The team were drawn into Group 7 with Estonia, Latvia and Argentina. The team defeated Argentina 5−0. The team then defeated Latvia 3−2 but lost to Estonia by the same margin and finished in 48th place. In 2003, the team competed in the All-Africa Games while it was also the host. The team entered the final but lost 3−2 to South Africa. In 2007, the team won the mixed team event at the 2007 All-Africa Games. In 2010, the team competed in the 2010 Commonwealth Games but did not make it past the group stage. In 2011, the team won the All-Africa Games mixed team event for a second time. In 2015, the team competed in the 2015 Sudirman Cup and placed 35th after defeating Kazakhstan in the playoffs.

In April 2019, the team were champions at the 2019 African Mixed Team Championships. In August 2019, the team won their third team title at the African Games. In 2023, the team competed in the 2023 African Mixed Team Championships and were eliminated in the quarter-finals after losing 3−1 to Mauritius.

Competitive record

Thomas Cup

Uber Cup

Sudirman Cup

WBF World Championships

Men's team

Women's team

Commonwealth Games

Men's team

Women's team

Mixed team

African Games

Mixed team

African Team Championships

Men's team

Women's team

Mixed team

: **Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.

Junior competitive record

Suhandinata Cup

Commonwealth Youth Games

Mixed team

African Youth Games

Men's team

Women's team

Mixed team

African Junior Team Championships

Mixed team

: **Red border color indicates tournament was held on home soil.

Players

Current squad

Men's team

Women's team

Previous squads

Thomas Cup

• 2008, 2010, 2014

References

References

1. "Archiv SudirmanCup".
2. (1979-06-16). "Singapore overcome Burma". [[The Straits Times]].
3. Jakande, L. K.. (1983). "LKJ'S First Term Report: October 1979 to September 1983". Lagos State Government.
4. Scheele, H. A. E.. (1982). "World Badminton". [[Badminton World Federation.
5. (1988-08-14). "African Badminton Championships end in Nigeria". [[Xinhua News Agency]].
6. Kigbu, Ishaku. (2008-03-20). "NSC to Assist Athletes". [[Leadership (newspaper).
7. "RI shuttlers see smooth start at Thomas Cup - Thu, March 13, 2008".
8. (2008-05-14). "Malaysia knocks out Japan in women's Uber Cup". The New York Times.
9. (2010-05-09). "Malaysia awarded win after Nigeria no-show".
10. (2010-05-11). "Hidayat labours to victory as Nigeria get the boot".
11. Liu, Fiona. (2014-05-19). "Thomas-Uber Cup 2014: Complete Day 2 Results".
12. Ojoye, Taiwo. (2018-02-16). "Algeria floor Nigeria at African badminton finals".
13. (2024-05-10). "Algeria Creates History with Fourth Consecutive All Africa Men's Team Championships Win and South Africa wins Women's Championships".
14. "All Africa Badminton Championships in Algiers -Archive -Seychelles Nation".
15. (2024-05-10). "Day 3 Highlights of the All Africa Team Championships 2024: Nail-Biting Matches and Surprising Twists".
16. State (Nigeria), Lagos. (1981). "Two Years of Civilian Administration in Lagos State, 1979-1981". Lagos State Printing Corporation.
17. (1991-05-07). "Two countries face action". [[The Straits Times]].
18. (1999-05-14). "SCORES AND STATISTICS". [[The Straits Times]].
19. Taiwo, Juliana. (7 July 2003). "Nigeria: Abuja 2003: Badminton Optimistic of Medals Haul".
20. (16 July 2007). "Nigeria overwhelms S. Africa in All-Africa Games badminton".
21. (2010-10-05). "Australia's dream start continued in badminton".
22. Sachetat, Raphaël. (13 September 2011). "ALL AFRICA GAMES – South Africa and Nigeria share medals".
23. Sesan. (2019-04-29). "Nigeria win African badminton tourney".
24. Baba, Dare. (25 August 2019). "Rabat 2019: Nigeria Wins Gold In Badminton Mixed Team".
25. (2023-02-16). "Badminton {{!}} Championnats d'Afrique seniors: Maurice dans le dernier carré".