2026 FIFA World Cup: 'Watching from Miles Away'

The 2026 World Cup has started, if you ask a Nigerian football fan who their favourite team to win it is, some will tell you Argentina, Spain, Brazil, France even Portugal.

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Administration and long standing issues

FURTHER READING

When are we going to be able to place Nigeria in such conversation?

There has been a lot of talk around travel issues affecting some countries ahead of the tournament, including visa problems reported for some African fans and officials. But Nigeria is not part of any of that, the simple reason is that the Super Eagles did not qualify.’

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For a country where football is almost part of daily life, we play it in schools, at home, even organize local tournaments with prices, just for the fun of it… this absence hurts. Nigeria is ranked 26th in the world by FIFA and still remains one of Africa’s biggest football nations on paper, but on the pitch, its a different story all together.

This is the second World Cup in a row Nigeria is missing, after also failing to qualify for Qatar 2022.

For years, Nigeria has been one of the strongest teams in Africa. There was a time when other teams saw Nigeria as the standard. Winning Africa Cup of Nations titles, producing top players, and dominating qualifiers was normal.

But that gap is closing fast.

Countries like Morocco, Senegal, Egypt and even South Africa have moved ahead in structure and planning. Nigeria is still relying on the same system it has used for decades without serious change.

The Nigeria Premier Football League is ranked 91st in the world by IFFHS and sits 12th in Africa, that alone tells part of the story. For context, Egypt premier league is ranked number one with BOTOLA Morroco in second place.

Domestic football is not producing a strong enough base for the national team anymore.

Morocco is a good example. Their football development did not start so long ago, but their investment in academies, pitches, and coaching has changed everything. Senegal also built a strong system through long term youth development.

Many Nigerian players who went to AFCON or played against Morocco will tell you the same thing. The difference is clear; stadiums, organisation, training facilities, everything.

Nigeria does not currently have half of that structure in place.

Administration and long standing issues

The Nigeria Football Federation has also struggled with internal problems. Player bonuses, allowances, and match payments have been a recurring issue over the years. I remember how Super Eagles struggled with bonuses during the 2025 AFCON. These Nigerian players were having one of the best runs in the history of Africa football and still had to battle with NFL for their rightful bonuses, it was honestly shameful.

There have been disputes with senior players in different cycles, and even youth teams have complained about unpaid entitlements.

These are not new problems, they keep coming back every few years, and they affect focus and preparation.

At the same time, questions around sports funding in Nigeria have remained the same for years. Budget allocation rarely reflects the size of the sport or its importance to the country.

A generation that may not get another chance

Nigeria still has quality players. Names like Osimhen, Adams, Lookman, Iwobi, Ndidi, and many others are still active and playing at a high level in Europe, but time is not on their side.

By the next World Cup, some of them will be past their peak, and maybe even retired. That makes this missed World cup even more painful. This was a strong generation on paper, but it did not translate into results when it mattered.

Nigeria is still a big football nation in terms of talent and history, that has not changed.

What has changed is structure. Other African countries have moved forward, Nigeria has stayed in the same place.