The football world stood still as the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicked off in Mexico, Canada and USA, yesterday. Forty eight nations are participating in the quadrennial global showpiece.

Out of that number, ten nations are representing Africa. Unfortunately, Nigeria is not among them. It is the second consecutive edition that Africa’s most populous nation has failed to qualify for the World Cup. A general sense of frustration pervades the land. The fans are despondent and stakeholders are wondering what dragged Nigeria’s football to this level of continental and global insignificance.

It’s unthinkable that Cape Verde, ranked 69th in the world, is at the World Cup. DR Congo is also at the World Cup at the expense of 26th ranked Nigeria. It might interest one to also know that Nigeria is the undisputed leader in African football player exports and ranks among the top 10 globally. According to experts, the country consistently places between 8th and 10th worldwide, standing as the only African nation in the global top 10.

For Nigeria, a country that had built a frightening reputation in global football to miss two successive World Cup tournaments, even with the expanded format, leaves much to be desired.

Little wonder therefore that calls for a total overhaul of the Nigeria Football Federation are growing louder by the day as the Super Eagles performance in the qualifiers was a direct index of the amount of professionalism – or lack of it – put in by those running football in the country. After an indifferent campaign in the qualifiers, Nigeria got a lifeline when CAF invoked its rules that ended up making Nigeria qualify for the continental playoff. Despite that respite, the Super Eagles failed to beat DR Congo after a nerve-wrecking penalty shootout in the final of the playoff. Congo deservedly went ahead to qualify after beating Jamaica in the intercontinental playoff in April.

Where did Nigeria get it wrong?

Most observers believe that the officials of the Nigeria Football Federation should own up and admit that they failed the nation again, after being absent at the Qatar World Cup in 2022. It must be remembered that the Super Eagles prosecuted the World Cup qualifiers under three coaches. They began with Portuguese journey man Jose Peseiro, Finidi George then Chelle. The level of instability in the technical crew alone could have worked against the team. They say too many cooks spoil the broth. Nothing could be truer than this.

Appointment of coaches and the opaque selection process

Veteran sports journalist, Ejiro Omonode said, “When Peseiro left, a Finidi came and didn’t get the required support. He was called for a meeting with the NFF in Abuja and was promised everything. But before he arrived at Port Harcourt airport, news broke that he had been relegated to the position of ceremonial head coach and a German was coming to boss him. When the qualifiers were almost over we brought out calculators to create imaginary chances. Those who are serious about the World Cup set out early. Imagine Nigeria struggled with the likes of the Republic of Benin, Rwanda, Lesotho, Zimbabwe and so forth. The process for the recruitment of coaches by the NFF has been a very close secret. Each recruitment exercise is fraught with deception as the public is made to believe everything is okay. After asking qualified individuals to apply, the interviews and eventual engagement are top secrets. From the recruitment of Gernot Rohr to Jose Peseiro and now Eric Chelle it has been clear that each of them came to satisfy vested interests of some powerful members of the NFF board,” Omonode said, “This still boils down to administration.

There are allegations that two ex-internationals high up in the system brought Eric Chelle as their preferred candidate whether on merit or not.

Midway into the qualifying series, the Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Malam Shehu Dikko, defended Chelle and gave him a clean bill of health. He said Chelle had done well. Explaining how the Malian had been able to turn around the fortunes of the Super Eagles, Dikko said, “As for the World Cup, we all know where we are. When we came on board, we only had three points out of 12, but now with Eric Chelle in charge, we have eight points in another four games. If we had these results before, probably, we could have qualified for the World Cup.” With his position as the number one sports administrator in the country, Dikko should be the one asking questions. He should not be engaging in what has been described as an image laundering expedition for Chelle. He should be the one to ask for the scorecard of the NFF.

A tardy NFF

Apart from the random recruitment of who handles the Super Eagles, the Nigerian Football Federation has also been the bane of the team’s effort at performing well, particularly at away matches. Nigeria was taken to the Toyota stadium in Bloemfontein, a traditional rugby pitch. In what appears conspiratorial, the pitch was approved for the dicey match between South Africa and the Super Eagles.

The NFF sat back, no advance team was sent to South Africa to inspect that pitch, no complaint and the Eagles were hosted there. A week after the match which ended 1-1, a FIFA official reportedly told a Nigerian journalist that had the NFF raised any objection to the poor state of the pitch, FIFA would have done something about it. A change of venue would have been the probable option.. “We, as FIFA, do not have the capacity to inspect every stadium hosting World Cup qualifiers,” the official said. “We rely on the confederations in this case, CAF, to organise and oversee these games. If they fail to carry out their duties properly, as may have happened here, then the Nigeria Football Federation can submit a formal complaint for further review.” FIFA’s response puts the spotlight on CAF’s role in ensuring that playing surfaces for World Cup qualifiers meet international standards, the report stated..

An angry Super Eagles fan raised another salient point, while counting the sins of the NFF and their contributions to Nigeria’s worst World Cup qualifying campaign ever. He asked, “When Lesotho and Zimbabwe chose to play their home matches in South Africa, didn’t the NFF see any danger in that?” he asked. Couldn’t they have raised an eyebrow? How can they take that without a whimper?” Indeed, it is clear, as it has turned out, that the NFF literally handed the 2026 FIFA World Cup ticket to South Africa, even before a ball was kicked. The Bafana Bafana travelled only thrice to Rwanda, Nigeria and Benin while the rest of their qualifiers were played in South Africa.

Sports Manager with Nigeria Info, Abuja, Olubunmi Haruna, believes Nigeria lost the ticket because the NFF was not organised. “The officials of the NFF were not organised. They took many things for granted, and that is why we lost the ticket.”

Haruna also urged the NFF to pay attention to the Flying Eagles and the Golden Eaglets. “This failure is partly because we have failed recently with the age grade teams. The effect will continue if we don’t do better. We have to start now,” he said.

Late preparations

On his part Godwin Bamigboye, the Chairman of the FCT Coaches Association attributed Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the World Cup to late preparations and lack of commitment.

“We hardly qualify because we don’t prepare. How can you spend a few days preparing to qualify for the World Cup? We need to be serious. What you garbage in is what you get in return.”

He urged the NFF to make the Super Eagles more competitive if they want Nigeria to qualify for the next World Cup.

“The NFF should fund the team well. We need to give more players opportunities to encourage competition in the team. That way you will get the best players to play the World Cup qualification.

Chasing out impostors

1980 AFCON winner, Segun Odegbami, was unequivocal at the recently organised 10th memorial lecture of late Stephen Keshi, when he said the present board of the NFF should be chased out. Odegbami regretted that Nigeria’s flag will not be hoisted in ”the easiest World Cup with 10 qualification slots for Africa. And the people who did not take us there are scheming and planning that they are going to come back again to lead us through this same hell we’re going through. That will be the ultimate slap in the face if Nigerians allow them to come back. People have failed and we’re bamboozled into accepting that they should come and continue and disregard all people who are the victims of their failure. It is a shame. The ignorance level of our so-called leaders is atrocious”.

Looking at the empty hall of the NIIA where the memorial lecture was being held, Odegbami said that he would have been shocked if NFF officials honored the invitation. ”Look at the hall. It’s near empty. We’re talking of Stephen Keshi who gave everything to this country. ‘Time has come for us to stand up and chase away these impostors from our football. You’ll be shocked to know that as great as this country is, we do not have one standard stadium in Nigeria. I mean one, not two. Go to the Godswill Akpabio Stadium and see what we have turned it to. It’s pitiable. We can no longer watch them destroy our beautiful game that gives Nigerians joy.

”There’s no accountability, no resignations after failure. No remorse. We cannot continue with this impunity”, Odegbami said.

Commitment of players

Another factor that worked against Nigeria in the World Cup qualifiers was the quality of playing personnel. A team that parades an all-foreign based squad should not be struggling with the likes of Republic of Benin, Lesotho and Rwanda. Even the Bafana Bafana should not pose a problem to a typical Nigeria squad. Jide Oloyede, a former player of the defunct First Bank Football Club of Lagos, told Sports Vanguard that Nigerian players are overrated. Said he, “Our players are over hyped. You could see the way the South Africans were playing. They exhibited hunger and thirst for the World Cup. They were playing behind the ball and fell back to fight for the ball when they lost it. I don’t think we were prepared for what we met.”

He questioned Super Eagles players’ commitment to their country. “You and I were in this country when we had the likes of Jay Jay Okocha, Rasheed Yekini, Finidi George, Sunday Oliseh among others. These were players who wanted to write their names in gold and went the hard way for success. But the current squad does not have serious-minded players. The moment they land and you see them, you will know that they are not serious people. It’s not a coaching problem but the players’. They were well motivated. I have observed that these players don’t put much effort in their play like we see them do for their clubs in Europe. When they play for the national team, they don’t show the zeal of wanting to win matches like they show in their clubs’ colours. That is the reality.”

Non-payment of allowances

But another argument put by Omonode says it all. He talked about NFF’s lack of commitment to these players. He mentioned owed bonuses, non-payment of/or delayed camp allowances and poor welfare as some of the disincentives militating against camp harmony. Players feel they are being used without commensurate appreciation. The former Sports editor of Guardian said, “Administration flows into the players. The players are the end products. For instance, he mentioned when players who got injured while on international duties were abandoned to their fates.

“From when these fixtures were made, you call these players, engage them in a heart to heart discussion on how you intend to prosecute the qualifiers. But again, you can’t be calling on these players when you are owing them past allowances and bonuses. So, sometimes they don’t have the moral standing to call on them.”

As the nation continues to lick its wounds and brood over missed opportunities it is incumbent on stakeholders of Nigerian football to effect the changes required to fix Nigeria football.

There are always consequences

Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup—the second consecutive absence—is a national sporting and economic crisis. It costs the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) an estimated $10.5 million (over N15.5 billion) in direct prize money, harms the international transfer market value of top players, and deprives youth programs of crucial funding.

Financial and commercial loss:

By failing to reach the expanded 48-team tournament, the Nigeria Football Federation missed out on a guaranteed $10.5 million(about N15 billion in participation fees and prize money, which represents roughly 87 percent of the federation’s annual budget. Decreased Sponsorships: Corporate endorsements, merchandising, and media rights associated with the Super Eagles have dried up, impacting local advertising agencies and businesses.

Danger to grassroots football development

The lack of revenue severely limits the federation’s ability to fund domestic league infrastructure and youth tournaments, threatening future talent pipelines.

Player profiles and market value missed global showcase: Stars in their prime like Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman have been denied the ultimate shop window to elevate their global reputations.

Career Timelines

The World Cup operates on a four-year cycle and this missed opportunity could mean an entire generation of players will go a significant portion of their careers without experiencing football’s biggest global stage.

Terem Moffi featured in five of Nigeria’s ten 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Of the five games the Portugal Liga winner played, Nigeria sealed one win.

The FC Porto loanee believes that most of the current crop of players will not be around to witness the next tournament.

With an average age of 26.8, most of the Nigerian players will be in the latter part of their careers when the 2030 World Cup kicks off, and Moffi believes it’ll be almost impossible for them to be a part of that squad.

“That’s what the fans don’t understand. The World Cup is every four years, and not everyone gets to be a part of that,” the ex-Lorient striker said in an interview with AY Suga.

“We’ve missed two World Cups now. It’s devastating for the fans, but even more so for us, the players.

“I’m 27 now, in the next World Cup I’ll be 31, and most of the squad will be in their 30’s as well. It’s almost impossible for us to be there if we’re being totally honest.

“Young players will come in. The oldest in the squad right now is Semi [32], so, going by that, it’ll be quite difficult.

“For some of us, we might have to watch from home. How do we tell our children that we had two chances to be at the World Cup and we didn’t take it?

“It’s horrible to think about,” Terem Moffi concluded.

Squad Rebuilding

The extended absence has forced the team to bring in younger, less experienced squads for rebuilding and friendly fixtures, shifting the immediate focus to attitude and squad development rather than immediate tournament glory.

Administrative and Structural Reforms/Wake-Up Call on Management

The failure highlights deep-seated governance, structural, and administrative issues. Constant changes in the technical crew, late arrivals to camps, and player bonus disputes have plagued the qualifying campaigns.

Push for private sector involvement

There is mounting pressure to transition Nigerian football into a more profit-driven, capitalist enterprise, urging the government to step back and let private stakeholders manage the game with better strategic discipline.

The “Miracle Mindset” folly

Experts have criticised the national reliance on the “last-minute miracle mindset”, pointing out that consistent success requires systematic, long-term planning instead of reacting to failures after the fact, or calculating based on possible failures of other teams.

Psychological and emotional impact

Missing out for the second time in a row has created widespread muted enthusiasm and heartbreak for millions of passionate Nigerian supporters.

Loss of continental prestige

Historically, Nigeria is the only African team to reach the knockout stages of the World Cup three times; this absence alters the texture of the tournament and diminishes the country’s prestige in Africa and on the global stage.

(Vanguard News)

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