The English Premier League is the most popular football league in the world, selling broadcasting rights to over 212 territories and 643 million homes.
Owing to its global popularity, the league also attracts talent from around the globe, hosting over 115 nationalities.
Nigeria exports the highest number of African players who play in the top-flight English league. This fete has led to the Premier League’s wide acceptance and viewing in Nigeria.
Here is a list of English Premier League clubs with the most fans in Nigeria.
1. Chelsea
Chelsea FC is the EPL club with the highest number of fans in Nigeria and over 94 million globally. It ranks 3rd among football clubs with the most fans in Africa.
The club plays its home matches at the 40,000-capacity Stamford Bridge stadium.
Chelsea soared in popularity for its love of recruiting talent from the African continent, including Nigerian John Obi-Michael and the West African duo of Michael Essien and Didier Drogba -one of the richest African footballers.
Didier Drogba cemented his status as a football icon in Africa by winning the club’s maiden UEFA Champions League title in 2011-12, along with four EPL titles.
This feat created a love affair between Nigerians and Chelsea.
2. Manchester United
Manchester United is arguably one of the English Premier League clubs with the most fans in Nigeria. The club enjoys a huge following in Nigeria after signing talent from the country, such as Odion Ighalo.
Manchester United has staged its home games at the 73,000-capacity Old Trafford stadium since the 1910s.
The club particularly entrenched itself in Nigeria following the heroics of Sir Alex Ferguson, who steered the club to an unprecedented 13 Premier League titles during his tenure.
The club has some of the loudest and most aggressive fans, numbering 142 million worldwide.
3. Arsenal FC
Arsenal is one of the most supported Premier League clubs in Nigeria and Africa. The club’s popularity has also soared during the 2003-04 Invincibles season.
It has further entrenched itself in Nigeria with the successes led by English-born Nigerian winger Bukayo Saka.
Arsenal plays its home games at the 60,000-seat Emirates Stadium, which they moved into after relocating from Highbury in 2006.
The club has over 75 million fans globally and a wide contingent of Nigerian fans abroad, led by Kelechi of AFTV. Some of the Arsenal legends are Thierry Henry and Nwankwo Kanu.
4. Liverpool FC
Merseyside Club Liverpool FC is one of the Premier League clubs with most fans in Nigeria.
The club soared in popularity, attracting a new fanbase after ending its 30-year-long wait for a Premier League title under the stewardship of Senegalese Sadio Mane.
During this stint, Liverpool was also crowned UEFA Champions League winners, and its global supporters number rose to over 93 million.
5. Manchester City
English club Manchester City has also recently grown a foothold in Nigeria. The club’s home ground is the 53,000-capacity Etihad Stadium, and its recent success is attributed to its acquisition by Qatari-rich owners, unlike the traditional big four clubs.
Manchester City has flourished and dominated the English Premier League for the past seven seasons under Spanish manager Pep Guardiola.
City lifted their maiden UEFA Champions League in 2022–23 with their lethal skipper, Erling Haaland, growing their fanbase in Nigeria.
6. Tottenham
Tottenham Hotspurs were widely renowned in Nigeria during the lethal duo of Harry Kane and Hueng-Min Son.
The club’s home ground is the 63,000-capacity Tottenham Stadium, completed in 2019 after the demolition of the White Hart Lane.
Despite Kane moving to Bayern and the club’s failure to collect silverware in the last decade, Tottenham still has a handful of supporters in the country.
7. Newcastle United
Newcastle is also on the list of the English Premier League clubs with the most fans in Nigeria.
This club is on the ascendancy after its acquisition by its oil-rich Saudi owners. The club was a formidable force in the 1980s during the time of club legend Alan Shearer.
Housed at the 52,000-seat St. James Park stadium, the club later fell into oblivion but has recently begun to reclaim its lost glory. Their journey has included the signing of Swedish talisman Alexander Isak.
