National Teams
‘Nigeria can still qualify for 2026 World Cup’ – NFF
By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde
The President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Alhaji Ibrahim Gusau has assured Nigerians that the senior men’s national team can still qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Super Eagles have a tight route to qualifying for the next World Cup after picking three points from their first four group games against Lesotho, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Benin Republic.
Finidi George’s side needs to win at least five of their last six games to have any chance of making it to the World Cup which Gusau is confident that it is possible
“It’s a very sad moment for Nigerian football. We can’t run away from that,” Gusau told journalists after the NFF Executive meeting.
“All I want to assure you is that we are working tirelessly together with the Minister to see that we come out with some holistic measures that will change the phase of the entire system so that we can move forward.
“Don’t forget it’s possible and we are going to make it. I just want to assure you that we are going to fight it to the last and Nigeria will qualify for the World Cup.
“This is not something that I will just say now but very soon you are going to see the major steps that NFF will come out with and by the grace of God those major steps will lead us to qualify for the next World Cup.”
Ahead of the next FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, the team would have concluded the qualification series for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.
Gusau says measures would be taken to ensure that the team gets back into winning ways.
“Before the next round of the qualifiers, we have the AFCON Qualifiers in which all the six matches will played before March next year,” he continued.
“By the grace of God that will show Nigerians the kind of steps we are going to take to make sure we qualify for the World Cup. I just want to finally assure Nigerians that they should continue to pray for us. By the grace of God, I want to assure them that we are going to fight to the latter and qualify for the World Cup in 2026.”
The three-time African champions have not missed a consecutive FIFA World Cup since their debut in 1994.
They missed the 2006 edition and bounced back with 2010, 2014, and 2019 mundial before failing to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Not qualifying for the next World Cup could spell doom for a talented football nation already having setbacks at the U-17 and U-20 levels.
