Nigeria have appeared in the finals of the Africa Cup of Nations on twenty occasions. Nigeria has won the cup three times: the first time was in 1980[1] [2] and they won a second title in the 1994,[3] [4] held in Tunisia.
Nigeria won their third African title in 2013,[5] [6] [7] held in South Africa.
| Africa Cup of Nations record | Africa Cup of Nations qualification record | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Squad | |||||||||||||
 1957 | Not affiliated to CAF | Not affiliated to CAF | ||||||||||||||
| 1959 | ||||||||||||||||
 1962 | Withdrew | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 | |||||||||
 1963 | Group stage | 6th | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 10 | Squad | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
 1965 | Withdrew | Withdrew | ||||||||||||||
| 1968 | Did not qualify | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | |||||||||
| 1970 | Withdrew | Withdrew | ||||||||||||||
 1972 | Did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||||
 1974 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 9 | ||||||||||
| 1976 | Third place | 3rd | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 10 | Squad | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | |
| 1978 | Third place | 3rd | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 5 | Squad | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 | |
 1980 | Champions | 1st | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | Squad | Qualified as hosts | ||||||
 1982 | Group stage | 6th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | Squad | Qualified as holders | ||||||
| 1984 | Runners-up | 2nd | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 8 | Squad | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | |
| 1986 | Did not qualify | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||||
 1988 | Runners-up | 2nd | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 3 | Squad | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 | |
 1990 | Runners-up | 2nd | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 6 | Squad | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 2 | |
 1992 | Third place | 3rd | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 5 | Squad | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 15 | 3 | |
| 1994 | Champions | 1st | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 3 | Squad | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 1 | |
 1996 | Withdrew | Qualified as holders | ||||||||||||||
 1998 | Banned | Banned | ||||||||||||||
| 2000 | Runners-up | 2nd | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 5 | Squad | Qualified as hosts | ||||||
 2002 | Third place | 3rd | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | Squad | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2004 | Third place | 3rd | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 5 | Squad | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 3 | |
| 2006 | Third place | 3rd | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 3 | Squad | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 21 | 7 | |
| 2008 | Quarter-finals | 7th | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | Squad | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 3 | |
 2010 | Third place | 3rd | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 4 | Squad | 12 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 20 | 5 | |
  2012 | Did not qualify | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 5 | |||||||||
| 2013 | Champions | 1st | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 4 | Squad | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 3 | |
| 2015 | Did not qualify | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 7 | |||||||||
| 2017 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||
| 2019 | Third place | 3rd | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 7 | Squad | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 6 | |
| 2021 | Round of 16 | 9th | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 2 | Squad | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 7 | |
| 2023 | Runners-up | 2nd | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 4 | Squad | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 4 | |
| 2025 | To be determined | To be determined | ||||||||||||||
  2027 | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | 3 Titles | 20/36 | 104 | 57 | 24 | 23 | 146 | 95 | — | 126 | 67 | 39 | 20 | 221 | 93 | |