Nigeria’s Super Eagles have seen their squad market value rise to €281 million, marking a positive turn after suffering three consecutive declines.
The PUNCH reported that this data was disclosed in the most recent report from Transfermarkt.
In January, Nigeria’s squad was rated among the most valuable teams globally with a total value of €465.90 million.
However, by July, this had dropped to €252 million, a fall that also impacted their global rankings.
The sharp decline in Nigeria’s squad value was largely attributed to the absence of star striker Victor Osimhen, who missed key fixtures against South Africa and Benin Republic in the final phase of the 2026 World Cup CAF qualifying series.
The team managed only one point out of a possible six, which resulted in the squad’s value plummeting to €91 million—a staggering second drop this year.
While Osimhen also missed the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Libya earlier in October, the squad’s market value was boosted by the return of players like Taiwo Awoniyi and Chidera Ejuke, as well as the rise in Victor Boniface’s transfer value.
As a result, Nigeria climbed seven places in the global rankings, now standing as the 19th most valuable international team.
Despite this upward movement, Nigeria has yet to reclaim its top spot as the most valuable African team, still trailing Morocco.
However, the Super Eagles are now ranked second in Africa, two places higher than before.
Notably, the squad includes numerous players from top European leagues. Even with the recent value increase, the team’s €282 million worth, when converted to naira using the official exchange rate (N1,775 to €1 on Monday), amounts to a staggering N500 billion.
In July, Nigeria’s market value stood at €252 million, but the team has since seen a €30 million increase in value.
The absence of Osimhen—whose individual market value stands at €75 million—during the match against Libya not only impacted the team’s performance but also resulted in his omission from the Transfermarkt list, further contributing to the drop in squad value.
Currently, Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface is Nigeria’s most valuable player, boasting a market value of €45 million.
Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman follows closely with a value of €40 million. Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye, after a strong start to the 2024/25 season, has seen his market value rise by €3.5 million, bringing it to €7.5 million, making him the highest-valued goalkeeper in the squad.
Other goalkeepers like Stanley Nwabali and Amas Obasogie are valued at €550,000 and €0, respectively.
Among the defenders, only Calvin Bassey (€16 million) and Ola Aina (€12 million) are valued above €10 million, with Bright Osayi-Samuel coming close at €8 million. In contrast, veterans William Troost-Ekong (€2 million) and Semi Ajayi (€1.5 million) have a combined value of just €3.5 million.
In midfield and attack, players like Moses Simon, Alex Iwobi, Wilfred Ndidi, Lookman, Taiwo Awoniyi, Frank Onyeka, and Alhassan Yusuf have maintained their previous market values.
However, Leicester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho has seen a dip in value, now standing at €9 million.
While Nigeria continues to chase Morocco, whose squad value dropped by €75 million but still stands at €325 million, other African teams like Senegal (€276 million), Ivory Coast (€245 million), Ghana (€228 million), and Cameroon (€179 million) trail behind.
Globally, England retains the top spot with a squad market value of €1.34 billion, followed by France (€1.06 billion), who have overtaken Brazil to claim second place. Portugal (€972 million), The Netherlands (€778 million), and Brazil (€767 million) complete the top five most valuable national teams.
