Nigeria has ranked as Africa's second most football-obsessed country based on online search activity, according to a new study by football predictions platform The Daily Punt. Nigerians conducted 75.02 million searches for football-related topics during the World Cup month, a figure that aligns with the country's deep-rooted football culture. As Africa's most populous nation, with a population exceeding 220 million, Nigeria has long been a continental football powerhouse, having won the Africa Cup of Nations three times and produced generations of players who have starred in top European leagues.

South Africa topped the continental ranking with 122 million football-related searches in a single month, far surpassing every other African nation. South Africa, which became the first African country to host a FIFA World Cup in 2010, has among the highest internet penetration rates on the continent, a factor that may be reflected in its leading search volume. Kenya placed third with nearly 63 million searches, followed by Ghana in fourth with 24.15 million and Ethiopia in fifth with 20.3 million. Notably, three of the top five countries by search volume did not participate in the World Cup, underscoring that football interest across the continent extends well beyond national team tournament appearances.

Algeria led the second group of five with 17.71 million searches, despite failing to win a single match at the tournament. Cameroon recorded 4.25 million searches, Côte d'Ivoire 2.35 million, Senegal 2.02 million, and Guinea 610,670, completing the top ten.

Nigeria Leads in Fan Numbers and Professional Players

Although Nigeria did not lead in search volume, it ranked first for the number of football fans, with 82.5 million Nigerians identifying as football supporters—more than double the search leader, South Africa, which came second with 42 million fans. Ethiopia took third place with 38 million. Kenya followed in fourth with 24.3 million fans, and Algeria completed the top five with 22.35 million.

The remaining ranked countries were Ghana (17.11 million), Côte d'Ivoire (13.75 million), Cameroon (13.6 million), Senegal (11.34 million), and Guinea (6.03 million).

Nigeria also led the continent in professional footballers, with 1,738 recorded professionals, reinforcing its status as a leading exporter of football talent to leagues worldwide. Algeria ranked second with 1,205, followed by Ghana in third with 1,051. Cameroon placed fourth with 965 professional players, and Côte d'Ivoire rounded out the top five with 895.

The bottom half of the top ten for professional players included Senegal (804), South Africa (541), Kenya (409), Guinea (386), and Ethiopia (114).

In terms of registered football clubs, Algeria led with 124, ahead of Ghana with 94 and Nigeria with 88. Ethiopia followed with 50 clubs, Cameroon with 46, and South Africa with 43. Kenya had 36, Côte d'Ivoire 33, Senegal 31, and Guinea 24.

Study Methodology

The Daily Punt study evaluated African countries across multiple indicators including fan numbers, professional player counts, stadium capacity, and search activity for football-related terms. Fan numbers and search volumes were used to gauge everyday engagement, while professional player counts and registered clubs served as measures of each nation's football infrastructure. The study also assessed the number of stadiums per country and their combined seating capacity.