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The English Premier League (EPL) is nearing the end of the season. It has been an exhilarating campaign, with one of the closest title races in recent history. Manchester City, Arsenal, and Liverpool have all been in the running for one of the most prestigious trophies in world football.
But it is not just the fans in Manchester, London, and Liverpool who have been avidly following this battle. There are plenty of fans all over England that follow these clubs. But there are also millions of supporters just as anxious about the outcome – and none more so than those in Nigeria.
The interest levels in the EPL in Nigeria are off the scale. The EPL is obviously very popular in just about every football-loving country but Nigerians seem to hold a special place in their hearts for a competition that is taking place thousands of miles away from where they live. Live games pack out bars, online reports of games are avidly read, and thousands of Nigerians use sportsbooks like BetNow to back their favorite teams. But why is the EPL so special to Nigerians?
World’s most loved sport
It has to be understood straight away that football is the world’s favorite sport. Nigeria has always been deeply connected with sports in general and football is also number one in the country. It is not surprising that there is such a huge fan base for a sport that is followed by millions.
Sports of all kinds are very popular in Nigeria and the nation has produced some of the most successful athletes across a wide range of disciplines. But football will always come out on top in Nigeria, as fans clamor to keep up with all the latest developments at home and abroad.
The best league in the world
So, it is understandable that football is popular in Nigeria. But why the English Premier League in particular? If you asked the fans who watch every game of the season, they would probably say because it is the best league in the world. Serie A, La Liga, and the Bundesliga might disagree – but the EPL is considered the best by many.
The popularity of the EPL can be explained by many different factors. But the biggest broadcasting deals give EPL clubs the most money, which in turn allows them to buy the best players, and then helps those clubs win the most prestigious trophies. That success starts the cycle all over again and keeps the EPL at the top.
Nigerian connection
But even before the EPL was quite the grand success that we know today, there had been a strong Nigerian connection with the league. Efan Ekoku was the first Nigerian international to play in England, for Norwich City in 1993. But there have been other much more high-profile players since then.
Jay Jay Okocha is considered one of the most skillful players ever to play in the EPL and starred for Bolton and Hull. Nwankwo Kanu converted many Nigerians to Arsenal in the 1990s, while the likes of Mikel Obi turned Chelsea into a huge favorite a little later.
Biggest stars
There are still plenty of Nigerians still playing in England. But Nigerian football fans can appreciate skill wherever the player is from and want to see the best in action – and that is invariably in the EPL. That cycle of success we mentioned earlier means that the very best usually end up playing in England.
Lionel Messi may now be playing for Inter Miami and Cristiano Ronaldo is in Saudi Arabia but the biggest stars in the prime of their careers usually appear for an EPL team. Even the top Spanish players – from a country with teams considered to be some of the best in the world – regularly play in England.
Europe over Nigeria
The love for the EPL is just the most prominent example of how Nigerian football fans love football. But other European leagues regularly get more attention than the NPFL. That is not to say that all EPL fans have no interest at all in Nigerian football – but there is definitely a popularity gap between the two.
Some of this can be explained by the different levels of talent shown in the two leagues. Sports fans of all types tend to want to watch the best athletes perform. But there is also a perceived lack of professionalism and organization that blights the domestic league, qualities that the EPL is renowned for.
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EPL and marketing
Being a former colony of the UK, it is perhaps fairly obvious why Nigerians would gravitate towards the EPL as the football league to watch. There is no language barrier which may be the case elsewhere. But it is also the way that the EPL markets itself to the rest of the world – including Nigeria – that has a huge effect on its popularity outside of the UK.
It helps that the EPL has the stars to help advertise its talent to the rest of the football world. But the slick presentations and social media content strategies, alongside its high-quality broadcasting, mean that it just looks better than any of the other leagues too.
It is not just Nigeria that loves the EPL, of course. But as long as the best players in the world play there – including Super Eagles stars – there will always be thousands of Arsenal, Manchester City, and Liverpool fans cheering on their team in Lagos and across the rest of Nigeria.
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