Sunday Oliseh fears Nigeria ‘already late’ in race for 2030 World Cup qualification

Former Super Eagles head coach Sunday Oliseh has warned that Nigeria are already three months behind in their preparations for the 2030 World Cup and risk missing a third successive appearance at football’s biggest tournament.

Nigeria have not played at a World Cup since Russia 2018, having suffered play-off heartbreak in qualifying for both the 2022 and 2026 editions. Oliseh, who represented the Super Eagles at two World Cups as a player, believes the current trajectory is “scary” and has drawn a stark comparison with Italy’s recent failures.

“It is difficult addressing the issues of Nigerian football because most of our people get emotional and the don’t allow for reason,” Oliseh stated.

“It s scary If we are not careful we will be repeating what happened to Italy; who missed a third straight World Cup tournament.”

Italy failed to reach the 2026 World Cup after also missing out in 2018 and 2022, and Oliseh fears Nigeria could follow a similar path if decisive action is not taken quickly.

Cape Verde held up as warning sign

Oliseh’s concerns have been sharpened by the performances of other African sides at the most recent World Cup, co-hosted by the USA, Mexico and Canada, where the continent had 10 representatives.

He highlighted Cabo Verde as a standout example after the island nation became one of the surprise packages of the tournament, with an eye-catching run that included a dramatic round-of-32 tie against eventual champions Argentina.

Cabo Verde emerged as fan favourites, and their goalkeeper Vozinha was voted the best in the tournament by supporters – recognition that, in Oliseh’s view, underlines how far some African sides have progressed while Nigeria continue to stutter.

The former midfielder believes Cabo Verde’s World Cup exposure now gives them a competitive advantage over a Nigeria team he describes as “transitioning”.

“Imagine now in the next qualifiers that you are grouped with Cape Verde; they just got a huge World Cup experience,” he said.

“The next group of players coming up against Cape Verde – if we find ourselves in the same group – will have no real World Cup experience because of their ages.

“Only Iwobi and Ndidi featured at the 2018 tournament, we are talking in four years time.

“From that point of view we really are in danger.”

‘We have to act’ – Oliseh urges urgent rebuild

Oliseh also questioned the Super Eagles’ slow rebuild and inconsistent form since 2018, arguing that a lack of experience within the current squad could prove costly in the race to reach the 2030 finals.

He pointed to the size of Nigeria’s population as a potential advantage that is not being properly harnessed.

“When you have 220 million people there’s an advantage; you have the numbers, all you have to do is put your house in order. We have to act, in fact we are already running late.

“Preparation for the next World Cup should have started 3 months ago.”

Oliseh did not single out individual players or officials for criticism but framed his comments as a broader warning about planning, talent development and long-term strategy.

With the Super Eagles still in transition and only Alex Iwobi and Wilfred Ndidi remaining from the squad that went to the 2018 World Cup, Oliseh fears the team could head into the decisive stages of 2030 qualifying without the level of big-tournament experience enjoyed by emerging rivals such as Cabo Verde.

For the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations winner, Nigeria’s task is clear: leverage their vast pool of talent, accelerate preparations and ensure that the Super Eagles do not become Africa’s equivalent of Italy – a traditional powerhouse watching successive World Cups from home.