Super Eagles’ 2026 World Cup miss

ON Sunday, November 16, in a sad end to a shambolic campaign, Nigeria’s Super Eagles missed the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico after losing 3-4 to the Leopards of DR Congo on penalties at the Moulay Hassan Stadium in Rabat, Morocco. Coming into the game, the Eagles aimed to secure Africa’s sole ticket in the inter-confederation playoffs scheduled to take place next year after losing the automatic qualifying ticket of Group C to South Africa’s Bafana Bafana. The encounter ended in a 1-1 draw, with a tired-looking Nigeria side virtually sleepwalking through the second half after putting up a tolerable performance in the first half. After a thrilling 4‑1 extra‑time win over Gabon in the semi‑final, the Super Eagles played a lacklustre final. The loss was blamed on Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen’s substitution following an injury in the first half and the penalty shootout disaster in which Calvin Bassey, Moses Simon and Semi Ajayi missed their kicks, as well as Coach Eric Chelle’s tactical options and inability to adapt after Osimhen’s exit. There were also blame games involving the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), financial issues, and lack of mental strength.

The Eagles’ World Cup qualifiers are indeed forgettable. During the group stage matches, they played a 1-1 draw against Lesotho in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, in October, and a draw by the same margin against Zimbabwe, in an away game. Earlier in September, they had played a draw with the Bafana Bafana in Bloemfontein, and recorded a narrow 1–0 win over Rwanda in Uyo, a 2-1 win over Lesotho and, finally, a 4–0 home win against Benin. During the playoff (second) round, they beat Gabon 4–1 in Rabat on November 13, before losing out to the DR Congo on penalties on November 16. The three-time African champions, who are set to miss out on back-to-back World Cups, having also failed to qualify for the 2022 edition in Qatar, will now seek redemption at the upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

Reacting to the disastrous outing, former President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, blamed the Super Eagles’ failure on the revised qualification format, arguing that the team would have qualified if the 2018 qualification structure had remained in place. Speaking in Ikoyi, Lagos, Pinnick dismissed claims that the Super Eagles’ failure to reach the 2022 World Cup reflected poorly on his leadership, pointed to several key results during his tenure as evidence of progress, recalling victories against Argentina and Poland, as well as a competitive performance against England. He also said he played a central role in negotiating the design of the current national team jersey with Nike. This is of course like a bad workman blaming his tools, but Pinnick spoke with a bold face.

A more realistic assessment was, however, provided by former Super Eagles forward, Yakubu Ayegbeni, who questioned the attitude of the current strikers, the tactical approach under head coach Eric Chelle, and persistent financial mismanagement in Nigerian football, stressing that only Victor Osimhen currently showed the required intensity during the games. Said the former Eagles forward: “When you see the lineup, it’s a red flag already. We have four strikers, but only one plays like a ‘madman’, gives his best. If you see the aggression on the field of play, if you don’t pass the ball to him when you are meant to, he will fight. And that’s Victor Osimhen. The other ones that are there, they are just happy to wear the Nigerian jersey and say they are national team players.” Aiyegbeni is right, but his point can be extended to other departments, not just the forward department. The midfield, defence and goalkeeping are poor. Indeed, Nigeria does not seem to have a reliable, level-headed goalkeeper at the moment.

It is shameful that a team with the pedigree of the Super Eagles failed to make the 2026 World Cup. The team parades two recent African Footballer of the Year gong winners, but it had a campaign that laid bare many of the problems besetting Nigerian football. This is because even though it is not lacking in individual brilliance, it falls criminally short on the whole. The fact, quite simply, is that the Eagles are not going to the 2026 World Cup because they have not earned the right to be there. It is true that football fans from around the world would naturally love to see the Super Eagles as one of the teams representing Africa at the global football fiesta, but the team approached the games with a kind of laid-back attitude that does incredible damage to the image and prestige of Nigerian football.  And as presently constituted, it would not have gone very far in the tournament. In any case, it would not even have qualified for the inter-confederation playoffs if Eritrea had not withdrawn from the qualifiers in Group E, a factor that boosted Nigeria’s qualification for the World Cup playoffs. Throughout the campaign, team cohesion was poor, and nothing seemed certain even when the Eagles had taken a deserved lead. In many instances, they seemed to have elected to give the opposition gilt-edged chances to equalise. Nigerians frantically hoping to see the colourful Eagles jerseys on display in the 2026 finals were certainly left disappointed about the results.

If Nigeria is not to miss the 2030 World Cup finals, there must be a reinvention of the wheel. The team and its coaching department have to be overhauled. And the NFF must shelve its accustomed failures and ensure that the Eagles do not stage protests before major games, as it happened just before the Eagles faced Gabon during the playoffs. Over to the NFF.