Despite Nigeria’s absence from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Super Eagles emerged from Africa’s best-ever collective outing at the tournament with several long-standing records still intact. While Morocco dethroned Nigeria as Africa’s highest-scoring nation and Ghana overtook the Eagles as the West African team with the most World Cup victories, some records survived the continent’s historic campaign, PETER AKINBO writesMost World Cup appearances by a West African nationNigeria remain the West African country with the most FIFA World Cup appearances, having qualified for six editions in 1994, 1998, 2002, 2010, 2014 and 2018. Ghana’s appearance at the 2026 finals was only the Black Stars’ fifth, while Senegal and Ivory Coast both made their fourth appearances, leaving the Super Eagles alone at the top.Most times an African nation reached the knockout stageThe Super Eagles’ record of three appearances in the knockout rounds has now been matched by Morocco but not surpassed. Nigeria advanced beyond the group stage in 1994, 1998, 2014, while Morocco joined them after progressing from the groups in 1986, 2022 and 2026. The Atlas Lions can no longer move ahead because their quarter-final defeat to France ended their campaign.Ahmed Musa’s brace recordAhmed Musa remains the only African footballer to score two braces at the FIFA World Cup. The former Super Eagles captain struck twice against Argentina at Brazil 2014 before repeating the feat with another double against Iceland at Russia 2018. Despite several impressive attacking displays by African players in 2026, none managed to equal Musa’s unique achievement.Jay-Jay Okocha’s dribbling recordRelated NewsMorocco emerge Africa’s highest earner with $31.5mNigerian ‘Hulk’ Adediran calls out JoshuaNigeria qualify for 2026 U-17 Women’s World CupFormer Nigeria captain Austin ‘Jay-Jay’ Okocha still owns the World Cup record for the most successful dribbles in a single match. The midfield maestro completed an astonishing 15 successful dribbles against Italy in the Round of 16 at USA ‘94, a mark FIFA reaffirmed before the 2026 tournament. None of this year’s stars came close to eclipsing the 32-year-old record.Lowest-ranked team to reach the knockout stageNigeria’s remarkable achievement at France ‘98 also survived. The Super Eagles were ranked 74th in the world when they won Group D ahead of Paraguay, Spain and Bulgaria to qualify for the Round of 16, making them the lowest-ranked team in the FIFA rankings era to advance from the group stage. Cape Verde threatened the record after reaching the Round of 32 on their World Cup debut, but the Blue Sharks arrived in North America ranked 64th, 10 places higher than Nigeria were in 1998.Only African team to beat Spain at the World CupNigeria also remain the only African nation to defeat Spain at the World Cup. The Super Eagles stunned the Europeans 3-2 in Nantes at France ‘98, thanks to Sunday Oliseh’s famous late winner. Cape Verde came closest to matching the feat in 2026, earning a creditable goalless draw with Spain in the group stage before bowing out in the knockout rounds.Enyeama’s unique Man of The Match recordFormer Super Eagles goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama is still the only African goalkeeper to be named Man of The Match in a World Cup defeat. The former captain produced one of the tournament’s greatest goalkeeping displays against Argentina in 2010, making a string of outstanding saves to keep Lionel Messi at bay despite Nigeria’s 1-0 loss. More than a decade later, no other African goalkeeper has matched the unusual distinction. Most World Cup appearances by a West African nationNigeria remain the West African country with the most FIFA World Cup appearances, having qualified for six editions in 1994, 1998, 2002, 2010, 2014 and 2018. Ghana’s appearance at the 2026 finals was only the Black Stars’ fifth, while Senegal and Ivory Coast both made their fourth appearances, leaving the Super Eagles alone at the top.Most times an African nation reached the knockout stageThe Super Eagles’ record of three appearances in the knockout rounds has now been matched by Morocco but not surpassed. Nigeria advanced beyond the group stage in 1994, 1998, 2014, while Morocco joined them after progressing from the groups in 1986, 2022 and 2026. The Atlas Lions can no longer move ahead because their quarter-final defeat to France ended their campaign.Ahmed Musa’s brace recordAhmed Musa remains the only African footballer to score two braces at the FIFA World Cup. The former Super Eagles captain struck twice against Argentina at Brazil 2014 before repeating the feat with another double against Iceland at Russia 2018. Despite several impressive attacking displays by African players in 2026, none managed to equal Musa’s unique achievement.Jay-Jay Okocha’s dribbling recordRelated NewsMorocco emerge Africa’s highest earner with $31.5mNigerian ‘Hulk’ Adediran calls out JoshuaNigeria qualify for 2026 U-17 Women’s World CupFormer Nigeria captain Austin ‘Jay-Jay’ Okocha still owns the World Cup record for the most successful dribbles in a single match. The midfield maestro completed an astonishing 15 successful dribbles against Italy in the Round of 16 at USA ‘94, a mark FIFA reaffirmed before the 2026 tournament. None of this year’s stars came close to eclipsing the 32-year-old record.Lowest-ranked team to reach the knockout stageNigeria’s remarkable achievement at France ‘98 also survived. The Super Eagles were ranked 74th in the world when they won Group D ahead of Paraguay, Spain and Bulgaria to qualify for the Round of 16, making them the lowest-ranked team in the FIFA rankings era to advance from the group stage. Cape Verde threatened the record after reaching the Round of 32 on their World Cup debut, but the Blue Sharks arrived in North America ranked 64th, 10 places higher than Nigeria were in 1998.Only African team to beat Spain at the World CupNigeria also remain the only African nation to defeat Spain at the World Cup. The Super Eagles stunned the Europeans 3-2 in Nantes at France ‘98, thanks to Sunday Oliseh’s famous late winner. Cape Verde came closest to matching the feat in 2026, earning a creditable goalless draw with Spain in the group stage before bowing out in the knockout rounds.Enyeama’s unique Man of The Match recordFormer Super Eagles goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama is still the only African goalkeeper to be named Man of The Match in a World Cup defeat. The former captain produced one of the tournament’s greatest goalkeeping displays against Argentina in 2010, making a string of outstanding saves to keep Lionel Messi at bay despite Nigeria’s 1-0 loss. More than a decade later, no other African goalkeeper has matched the unusual distinction. Nigeria remain the West African country with the most FIFA World Cup appearances, having qualified for six editions in 1994, 1998, 2002, 2010, 2014 and 2018. Ghana’s appearance at the 2026 finals was only the Black Stars’ fifth, while Senegal and Ivory Coast both made their fourth appearances, leaving the Super Eagles alone at the top.Most times an African nation reached the knockout stageThe Super Eagles’ record of three appearances in the knockout rounds has now been matched by Morocco but not surpassed. Nigeria advanced beyond the group stage in 1994, 1998, 2014, while Morocco joined them after progressing from the groups in 1986, 2022 and 2026. The Atlas Lions can no longer move ahead because their quarter-final defeat to France ended their campaign.Ahmed Musa’s brace recordAhmed Musa remains the only African footballer to score two braces at the FIFA World Cup. The former Super Eagles captain struck twice against Argentina at Brazil 2014 before repeating the feat with another double against Iceland at Russia 2018. Despite several impressive attacking displays by African players in 2026, none managed to equal Musa’s unique achievement.Jay-Jay Okocha’s dribbling recordRelated NewsMorocco emerge Africa’s highest earner with $31.5mNigerian ‘Hulk’ Adediran calls out JoshuaNigeria qualify for 2026 U-17 Women’s World CupFormer Nigeria captain Austin ‘Jay-Jay’ Okocha still owns the World Cup record for the most successful dribbles in a single match. The midfield maestro completed an astonishing 15 successful dribbles against Italy in the Round of 16 at USA ‘94, a mark FIFA reaffirmed before the 2026 tournament. None of this year’s stars came close to eclipsing the 32-year-old record.Lowest-ranked team to reach the knockout stageNigeria’s remarkable achievement at France ‘98 also survived. The Super Eagles were ranked 74th in the world when they won Group D ahead of Paraguay, Spain and Bulgaria to qualify for the Round of 16, making them the lowest-ranked team in the FIFA rankings era to advance from the group stage. Cape Verde threatened the record after reaching the Round of 32 on their World Cup debut, but the Blue Sharks arrived in North America ranked 64th, 10 places higher than Nigeria were in 1998.Only African team to beat Spain at the World CupNigeria also remain the only African nation to defeat Spain at the World Cup. The Super Eagles stunned the Europeans 3-2 in Nantes at France ‘98, thanks to Sunday Oliseh’s famous late winner. Cape Verde came closest to matching the feat in 2026, earning a creditable goalless draw with Spain in the group stage before bowing out in the knockout rounds.Enyeama’s unique Man of The Match recordFormer Super Eagles goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama is still the only African goalkeeper to be named Man of The Match in a World Cup defeat. The former captain produced one of the tournament’s greatest goalkeeping displays against Argentina in 2010, making a string of outstanding saves to keep Lionel Messi at bay despite Nigeria’s 1-0 loss. More than a decade later, no other African goalkeeper has matched the unusual distinction. Most times an African nation reached the knockout stageThe Super Eagles’ record of three appearances in the knockout rounds has now been matched by Morocco but not surpassed. Nigeria advanced beyond the group stage in 1994, 1998, 2014, while Morocco joined them after progressing from the groups in 1986, 2022 and 2026. The Atlas Lions can no longer move ahead because their quarter-final defeat to France ended their campaign.Ahmed Musa’s brace recordAhmed Musa remains the only African footballer to score two braces at the FIFA World Cup. The former Super Eagles captain struck twice against Argentina at Brazil 2014 before repeating the feat with another double against Iceland at Russia 2018. Despite several impressive attacking displays by African players in 2026, none managed to equal Musa’s unique achievement.Jay-Jay Okocha’s dribbling recordRelated NewsMorocco emerge Africa’s highest earner with $31.5mNigerian ‘Hulk’ Adediran calls out JoshuaNigeria qualify for 2026 U-17 Women’s World CupFormer Nigeria captain Austin ‘Jay-Jay’ Okocha still owns the World Cup record for the most successful dribbles in a single match. The midfield maestro completed an astonishing 15 successful dribbles against Italy in the Round of 16 at USA ‘94, a mark FIFA reaffirmed before the 2026 tournament. None of this year’s stars came close to eclipsing the 32-year-old record.Lowest-ranked team to reach the knockout stageNigeria’s remarkable achievement at France ‘98 also survived. The Super Eagles were ranked 74th in the world when they won Group D ahead of Paraguay, Spain and Bulgaria to qualify for the Round of 16, making them the lowest-ranked team in the FIFA rankings era to advance from the group stage. Cape Verde threatened the record after reaching the Round of 32 on their World Cup debut, but the Blue Sharks arrived in North America ranked 64th, 10 places higher than Nigeria were in 1998.Only African team to beat Spain at the World CupNigeria also remain the only African nation to defeat Spain at the World Cup. The Super Eagles stunned the Europeans 3-2 in Nantes at France ‘98, thanks to Sunday Oliseh’s famous late winner. Cape Verde came closest to matching the feat in 2026, earning a creditable goalless draw with Spain in the group stage before bowing out in the knockout rounds.Enyeama’s unique Man of The Match recordFormer Super Eagles goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama is still the only African goalkeeper to be named Man of The Match in a World Cup defeat. The former captain produced one of the tournament’s greatest goalkeeping displays against Argentina in 2010, making a string of outstanding saves to keep Lionel Messi at bay despite Nigeria’s 1-0 loss. More than a decade later, no other African goalkeeper has matched the unusual distinction. The Super Eagles’ record of three appearances in the knockout rounds has now been matched by Morocco but not surpassed. Nigeria advanced beyond the group stage in 1994, 1998, 2014, while Morocco joined them after progressing from the groups in 1986, 2022 and 2026. The Atlas Lions can no longer move ahead because their quarter-final defeat to France ended their campaign.Ahmed Musa’s brace recordAhmed Musa remains the only African footballer to score two braces at the FIFA World Cup. The former Super Eagles captain struck twice against Argentina at Brazil 2014 before repeating the feat with another double against Iceland at Russia 2018. Despite several impressive attacking displays by African players in 2026, none managed to equal Musa’s unique achievement.Jay-Jay Okocha’s dribbling recordRelated NewsMorocco emerge Africa’s highest earner with $31.5mNigerian ‘Hulk’ Adediran calls out JoshuaNigeria qualify for 2026 U-17 Women’s World CupFormer Nigeria captain Austin ‘Jay-Jay’ Okocha still owns the World Cup record for the most successful dribbles in a single match. The midfield maestro completed an astonishing 15 successful dribbles against Italy in the Round of 16 at USA ‘94, a mark FIFA reaffirmed before the 2026 tournament. None of this year’s stars came close to eclipsing the 32-year-old record.Lowest-ranked team to reach the knockout stageNigeria’s remarkable achievement at France ‘98 also survived. The Super Eagles were ranked 74th in the world when they won Group D ahead of Paraguay, Spain and Bulgaria to qualify for the Round of 16, making them the lowest-ranked team in the FIFA rankings era to advance from the group stage. Cape Verde threatened the record after reaching the Round of 32 on their World Cup debut, but the Blue Sharks arrived in North America ranked 64th, 10 places higher than Nigeria were in 1998.Only African team to beat Spain at the World CupNigeria also remain the only African nation to defeat Spain at the World Cup. The Super Eagles stunned the Europeans 3-2 in Nantes at France ‘98, thanks to Sunday Oliseh’s famous late winner. Cape Verde came closest to matching the feat in 2026, earning a creditable goalless draw with Spain in the group stage before bowing out in the knockout rounds.Enyeama’s unique Man of The Match recordFormer Super Eagles goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama is still the only African goalkeeper to be named Man of The Match in a World Cup defeat. The former captain produced one of the tournament’s greatest goalkeeping displays against Argentina in 2010, making a string of outstanding saves to keep Lionel Messi at bay despite Nigeria’s 1-0 loss. More than a decade later, no other African goalkeeper has matched the unusual distinction. Ahmed Musa’s brace recordAhmed Musa remains the only African footballer to score two braces at the FIFA World Cup. The former Super Eagles captain struck twice against Argentina at Brazil 2014 before repeating the feat with another double against Iceland at Russia 2018. Despite several impressive attacking displays by African players in 2026, none managed to equal Musa’s unique achievement.Jay-Jay Okocha’s dribbling recordRelated NewsMorocco emerge Africa’s highest earner with $31.5mNigerian ‘Hulk’ Adediran calls out JoshuaNigeria qualify for 2026 U-17 Women’s World CupFormer Nigeria captain Austin ‘Jay-Jay’ Okocha still owns the World Cup record for the most successful dribbles in a single match. The midfield maestro completed an astonishing 15 successful dribbles against Italy in the Round of 16 at USA ‘94, a mark FIFA reaffirmed before the 2026 tournament. None of this year’s stars came close to eclipsing the 32-year-old record.Lowest-ranked team to reach the knockout stageNigeria’s remarkable achievement at France ‘98 also survived. The Super Eagles were ranked 74th in the world when they won Group D ahead of Paraguay, Spain and Bulgaria to qualify for the Round of 16, making them the lowest-ranked team in the FIFA rankings era to advance from the group stage. Cape Verde threatened the record after reaching the Round of 32 on their World Cup debut, but the Blue Sharks arrived in North America ranked 64th, 10 places higher than Nigeria were in 1998.Only African team to beat Spain at the World CupNigeria also remain the only African nation to defeat Spain at the World Cup. The Super Eagles stunned the Europeans 3-2 in Nantes at France ‘98, thanks to Sunday Oliseh’s famous late winner. Cape Verde came closest to matching the feat in 2026, earning a creditable goalless draw with Spain in the group stage before bowing out in the knockout rounds.Enyeama’s unique Man of The Match recordFormer Super Eagles goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama is still the only African goalkeeper to be named Man of The Match in a World Cup defeat. The former captain produced one of the tournament’s greatest goalkeeping displays against Argentina in 2010, making a string of outstanding saves to keep Lionel Messi at bay despite Nigeria’s 1-0 loss. More than a decade later, no other African goalkeeper has matched the unusual distinction. Ahmed Musa remains the only African footballer to score two braces at the FIFA World Cup. The former Super Eagles captain struck twice against Argentina at Brazil 2014 before repeating the feat with another double against Iceland at Russia 2018. Despite several impressive attacking displays by African players in 2026, none managed to equal Musa’s unique achievement.Jay-Jay Okocha’s dribbling recordRelated NewsMorocco emerge Africa’s highest earner with $31.5mNigerian ‘Hulk’ Adediran calls out JoshuaNigeria qualify for 2026 U-17 Women’s World CupFormer Nigeria captain Austin ‘Jay-Jay’ Okocha still owns the World Cup record for the most successful dribbles in a single match. The midfield maestro completed an astonishing 15 successful dribbles against Italy in the Round of 16 at USA ‘94, a mark FIFA reaffirmed before the 2026 tournament. None of this year’s stars came close to eclipsing the 32-year-old record.Lowest-ranked team to reach the knockout stageNigeria’s remarkable achievement at France ‘98 also survived. The Super Eagles were ranked 74th in the world when they won Group D ahead of Paraguay, Spain and Bulgaria to qualify for the Round of 16, making them the lowest-ranked team in the FIFA rankings era to advance from the group stage. Cape Verde threatened the record after reaching the Round of 32 on their World Cup debut, but the Blue Sharks arrived in North America ranked 64th, 10 places higher than Nigeria were in 1998.Only African team to beat Spain at the World CupNigeria also remain the only African nation to defeat Spain at the World Cup. The Super Eagles stunned the Europeans 3-2 in Nantes at France ‘98, thanks to Sunday Oliseh’s famous late winner. Cape Verde came closest to matching the feat in 2026, earning a creditable goalless draw with Spain in the group stage before bowing out in the knockout rounds.Enyeama’s unique Man of The Match recordFormer Super Eagles goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama is still the only African goalkeeper to be named Man of The Match in a World Cup defeat. The former captain produced one of the tournament’s greatest goalkeeping displays against Argentina in 2010, making a string of outstanding saves to keep Lionel Messi at bay despite Nigeria’s 1-0 loss. More than a decade later, no other African goalkeeper has matched the unusual distinction. Jay-Jay Okocha’s dribbling recordRelated NewsMorocco emerge Africa’s highest earner with $31.5mNigerian ‘Hulk’ Adediran calls out JoshuaNigeria qualify for 2026 U-17 Women’s World CupFormer Nigeria captain Austin ‘Jay-Jay’ Okocha still owns the World Cup record for the most successful dribbles in a single match. The midfield maestro completed an astonishing 15 successful dribbles against Italy in the Round of 16 at USA ‘94, a mark FIFA reaffirmed before the 2026 tournament. None of this year’s stars came close to eclipsing the 32-year-old record.Lowest-ranked team to reach the knockout stageNigeria’s remarkable achievement at France ‘98 also survived. The Super Eagles were ranked 74th in the world when they won Group D ahead of Paraguay, Spain and Bulgaria to qualify for the Round of 16, making them the lowest-ranked team in the FIFA rankings era to advance from the group stage. Cape Verde threatened the record after reaching the Round of 32 on their World Cup debut, but the Blue Sharks arrived in North America ranked 64th, 10 places higher than Nigeria were in 1998.Only African team to beat Spain at the World CupNigeria also remain the only African nation to defeat Spain at the World Cup. The Super Eagles stunned the Europeans 3-2 in Nantes at France ‘98, thanks to Sunday Oliseh’s famous late winner. Cape Verde came closest to matching the feat in 2026, earning a creditable goalless draw with Spain in the group stage before bowing out in the knockout rounds.Enyeama’s unique Man of The Match recordFormer Super Eagles goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama is still the only African goalkeeper to be named Man of The Match in a World Cup defeat. The former captain produced one of the tournament’s greatest goalkeeping displays against Argentina in 2010, making a string of outstanding saves to keep Lionel Messi at bay despite Nigeria’s 1-0 loss. More than a decade later, no other African goalkeeper has matched the unusual distinction. Former Nigeria captain Austin ‘Jay-Jay’ Okocha still owns the World Cup record for the most successful dribbles in a single match. The midfield maestro completed an astonishing 15 successful dribbles against Italy in the Round of 16 at USA ‘94, a mark FIFA reaffirmed before the 2026 tournament. None of this year’s stars came close to eclipsing the 32-year-old record.Lowest-ranked team to reach the knockout stageNigeria’s remarkable achievement at France ‘98 also survived. The Super Eagles were ranked 74th in the world when they won Group D ahead of Paraguay, Spain and Bulgaria to qualify for the Round of 16, making them the lowest-ranked team in the FIFA rankings era to advance from the group stage. Cape Verde threatened the record after reaching the Round of 32 on their World Cup debut, but the Blue Sharks arrived in North America ranked 64th, 10 places higher than Nigeria were in 1998.Only African team to beat Spain at the World CupNigeria also remain the only African nation to defeat Spain at the World Cup. The Super Eagles stunned the Europeans 3-2 in Nantes at France ‘98, thanks to Sunday Oliseh’s famous late winner. Cape Verde came closest to matching the feat in 2026, earning a creditable goalless draw with Spain in the group stage before bowing out in the knockout rounds.Enyeama’s unique Man of The Match recordFormer Super Eagles goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama is still the only African goalkeeper to be named Man of The Match in a World Cup defeat. The former captain produced one of the tournament’s greatest goalkeeping displays against Argentina in 2010, making a string of outstanding saves to keep Lionel Messi at bay despite Nigeria’s 1-0 loss. More than a decade later, no other African goalkeeper has matched the unusual distinction. Lowest-ranked team to reach the knockout stageNigeria’s remarkable achievement at France ‘98 also survived. The Super Eagles were ranked 74th in the world when they won Group D ahead of Paraguay, Spain and Bulgaria to qualify for the Round of 16, making them the lowest-ranked team in the FIFA rankings era to advance from the group stage. Cape Verde threatened the record after reaching the Round of 32 on their World Cup debut, but the Blue Sharks arrived in North America ranked 64th, 10 places higher than Nigeria were in 1998.Only African team to beat Spain at the World CupNigeria also remain the only African nation to defeat Spain at the World Cup. The Super Eagles stunned the Europeans 3-2 in Nantes at France ‘98, thanks to Sunday Oliseh’s famous late winner. Cape Verde came closest to matching the feat in 2026, earning a creditable goalless draw with Spain in the group stage before bowing out in the knockout rounds.Enyeama’s unique Man of The Match recordFormer Super Eagles goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama is still the only African goalkeeper to be named Man of The Match in a World Cup defeat. The former captain produced one of the tournament’s greatest goalkeeping displays against Argentina in 2010, making a string of outstanding saves to keep Lionel Messi at bay despite Nigeria’s 1-0 loss. More than a decade later, no other African goalkeeper has matched the unusual distinction. Nigeria’s remarkable achievement at France ‘98 also survived. The Super Eagles were ranked 74th in the world when they won Group D ahead of Paraguay, Spain and Bulgaria to qualify for the Round of 16, making them the lowest-ranked team in the FIFA rankings era to advance from the group stage. Cape Verde threatened the record after reaching the Round of 32 on their World Cup debut, but the Blue Sharks arrived in North America ranked 64th, 10 places higher than Nigeria were in 1998.Only African team to beat Spain at the World CupNigeria also remain the only African nation to defeat Spain at the World Cup. The Super Eagles stunned the Europeans 3-2 in Nantes at France ‘98, thanks to Sunday Oliseh’s famous late winner. Cape Verde came closest to matching the feat in 2026, earning a creditable goalless draw with Spain in the group stage before bowing out in the knockout rounds.Enyeama’s unique Man of The Match recordFormer Super Eagles goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama is still the only African goalkeeper to be named Man of The Match in a World Cup defeat. The former captain produced one of the tournament’s greatest goalkeeping displays against Argentina in 2010, making a string of outstanding saves to keep Lionel Messi at bay despite Nigeria’s 1-0 loss. More than a decade later, no other African goalkeeper has matched the unusual distinction. Only African team to beat Spain at the World CupNigeria also remain the only African nation to defeat Spain at the World Cup. The Super Eagles stunned the Europeans 3-2 in Nantes at France ‘98, thanks to Sunday Oliseh’s famous late winner. Cape Verde came closest to matching the feat in 2026, earning a creditable goalless draw with Spain in the group stage before bowing out in the knockout rounds.Enyeama’s unique Man of The Match recordFormer Super Eagles goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama is still the only African goalkeeper to be named Man of The Match in a World Cup defeat. The former captain produced one of the tournament’s greatest goalkeeping displays against Argentina in 2010, making a string of outstanding saves to keep Lionel Messi at bay despite Nigeria’s 1-0 loss. More than a decade later, no other African goalkeeper has matched the unusual distinction. Nigeria also remain the only African nation to defeat Spain at the World Cup. The Super Eagles stunned the Europeans 3-2 in Nantes at France ‘98, thanks to Sunday Oliseh’s famous late winner. Cape Verde came closest to matching the feat in 2026, earning a creditable goalless draw with Spain in the group stage before bowing out in the knockout rounds.Enyeama’s unique Man of The Match recordFormer Super Eagles goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama is still the only African goalkeeper to be named Man of The Match in a World Cup defeat. The former captain produced one of the tournament’s greatest goalkeeping displays against Argentina in 2010, making a string of outstanding saves to keep Lionel Messi at bay despite Nigeria’s 1-0 loss. More than a decade later, no other African goalkeeper has matched the unusual distinction. Enyeama’s unique Man of The Match recordFormer Super Eagles goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama is still the only African goalkeeper to be named Man of The Match in a World Cup defeat. The former captain produced one of the tournament’s greatest goalkeeping displays against Argentina in 2010, making a string of outstanding saves to keep Lionel Messi at bay despite Nigeria’s 1-0 loss. More than a decade later, no other African goalkeeper has matched the unusual distinction. Former Super Eagles goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama is still the only African goalkeeper to be named Man of The Match in a World Cup defeat. The former captain produced one of the tournament’s greatest goalkeeping displays against Argentina in 2010, making a string of outstanding saves to keep Lionel Messi at bay despite Nigeria’s 1-0 loss. More than a decade later, no other African goalkeeper has matched the unusual distinction.