The love for sports, especially football, in Nigeria knows no bounds. This can be seen in the number of sporting teams in every city in the country. Almost every area has its own small football team, and it’s not uncommon to see people converge on fields virtually every day to have some friendly matches or watch their favourite teams play.
This rich sports culture has also led to a booming sports betting industry, with many fans predicting sports outcomes at top-notch sites like frapapa every week.
The love for sports transcends beyond borders as millions of Nigerians passionately support foreign clubs, mainly in the English Premier League and Spanish La Liga.
Here is a list of the sports teams with the highest number of fans in Nigeria.
Manchester United F.C
Manchester United has one of the largest fan bases in the country. Although the club might not currently be enjoying their best moments, it is not so with its fan base as it keeps growing and increasing daily.
The club was founded in 1878 as Newton Heath LYR F.C; then, it later became Manchester United in 1902. The club is owned by Manchester United Plc (NYSE: MANU), nicknamed The Red Devils. In addition, the club has a stadium of 73,643 capacity called the Old Trafford Stadium.
Arsenal F.C
Arsenal won the EPL title in the 2002/2003 season without losing a match, which boosted their reputation. Since then, there has been a tremendous increase in their fan base as they remain the only team that has ever finished a league season without losing a single match.
The club is nicknamed The Gunners, and it is owned by Holdings Plc: Chips Keswick. It was founded in 1886 as Dial Square, and they have a 60,432 capacity stadium called the Emirates Stadium.
Liverpool F.C
Liverpool football club has some of the oldest and largest fan bases in the country, but it’s hard to notice them because the club didn’t win any significant trophies for a long time. Nevertheless, the club is doing great now, and many people are still loyal to them.
The club was founded in 1892; Fenway Sports Group owns it, and it has a 53,394 capacity stadium known as Anfield. The Liverpool club is nicknamed The Reds and is currently one of EPL’s best teams.
Chelsea F.C
Chelsea FC is also another premier league club with an enormous number of fans in Nigeria. The club is made more popular in the region through the fierce rivalry its fans have with Manchester United fans.
It is common to find Chelsea and Manchester fans having open verbal clashes and bantering each other at viewing centres, on social media or anywhere their games are being discussed.
Chelsea Football Club was founded in 1905. Its home stadium, Stamford Bridge, has a capacity of 41,631.
Real Madrid F.C
Real Madrid football club is unarguably the most successful football club globally, with a record number of title wins to its name. It is no wonder then that this club has a lot of fans in Nigeria.
Founded in 1902, the club’s home stadium is called Santiago Bernabeu, with a capacity of 81,044. They have won 68 trophies, and in worldwide competitions, they have attained seven records of world championships.
Other notable mentions include Barcelona, Manchester City, Tottenham, PSG and Bayern Munich.
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