The Super Eagles will be playing their 50th World Cup qualifying home match when they take on the Fennecs of Algeria at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo next week Saturday.
In their previous 49 home matches, the Eagles had won 39 and drawn seven, while losing three.
The first home match for Nigeria was on 10th September 1960, when they tied 2-2 with Ghana’s Black Stars in Lagos. The team had earlier lost the first leg 4-1 to the Ghanaians in Accra and crashed out of the race to the 1962 World Cup finals in Chile.
The last was against the Sihlangu of Swaziland at the Adokiye Amiesieamaka Stadium in Port Harcourt on 17th November 2015, in the preliminary round for Russia 2018. Nigeria won 2-0 courtesy of goals by Moses Simon and Efe Ambrose, following a 0-0 draw in Lobamba four days earlier.
The six other drawn matches were against Cameroon on 7th December 1968 (1-1 in Lagos); against Sudan on 13th September 1969 (2-2 in Ibadan); against Tanzania on 6th December 1980 (1-1 in Lagos); against Angola on 18th June 2005 (1-1 in Kano); against Tunisia on 6th September 2009 (2-2 in Abuja) and; against Kenya on 23rd March 2013 (1-1 in Calabar).
The Super Eagles’ three losses were against Ghana on 10th February 1973 (the Black Stars were leading 3-2 in Lagos when the match was abandoned; FIFA awarded it 2-0 to Ghana); against Tunisia on 12th November 1977 in Lagos (1-0 through a first half own goal by defender Godwin Odiye) and; against Algeria on 10th October 1981 (2-0 in Lagos).
However, the Super Eagles have never lost a World Cup qualifying home match played outside Lagos. In fact, the only times they have failed to win a World Cup qualifying home match away from Lagos was against Sudan (2-2 in Ibadan in 1969); against Angola (1-1 in Kano in 2005); against Tunisia (2-2 in Abuja in 2009) and; against Kenya (1-1 in Calabar in 2013).