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Amaju Pinnick blames Super Eagles’ 2026 World Cup miss on revised qualification format
By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde
Former President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, says the Super Eagles’ failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup was partly due to the revised qualification format, insisting the team would have secured a place if the 2018 structure had been retained.
Pinnick made the remarks on Monday during the Big Sport Dialogue in Ikoyi, where he engaged in a heated exchange with the National President of the Authentic Nigeria Football and Allied Sports Supporters Club, Abayomi Ogunjimi.
Ogunjimi had questioned how Pinnick leveraged his influence as former CAF first vice president and FIFA Council member to advance Nigeria’s football interests, referencing the Super Eagles’ absence from the 2022 World Cup and their impending failure to reach the 2026 edition. Pinnick strongly rejected the suggestion that the 2022 miss reflected poorly on his leadership.
“You said we did not qualify under me. We did not lose, and we did not win,” Pinnick said, arguing that the 2022 failure was a consequence of a format change. He maintained that Nigeria excelled under the 2018 structure, recalling how the Eagles topped a difficult group featuring Zambia, Cameroon, and Algeria, qualifying with two games to spare.
Pinnick highlighted several performances during his tenure as evidence of progress, citing victory over Argentina, an away win against Poland, and a competitive display against England. He also claimed a hands-on role in the design of the Super Eagles’ popular jersey collaboration with Nike.
“This jersey you are seeing today, I sat with Nike, and I told them to freestyle,” he said.
Defending his contributions beyond the pitch, Pinnick said his administration secured “unprecedented” Nigerian representation across CAF and FIFA committees.
“During my period as a member of the CAF Council, I had a minimum of twenty-five Nigerians in various committees. That was unprecedented,” he stated, adding that some of his interventions were not for public disclosure. “There are some things that are better left unsaid. Those who know, know.”
He listed Nigerians currently occupying influential global roles, including Aisha Falode on the FIFA Media Committee, noting that such appointments did not happen by chance.
Pinnick welcomed scrutiny and tough questions, stressing that accountability was essential for growth. Despite Nigeria’s recent setbacks, he affirmed his commitment to supporting the country’s football development and referenced his current role as vice president of the committee for the 2026 World Cup—a position he described as critical for Africa and the world, even though Nigeria will not feature at the tournament.
He concluded by urging Nigerians to focus more on achievements than criticism, warning that excessive negativity limits collective progress.
