Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen, has admitted that Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup has been difficult for him and his teammates.
Osimhen, who spoke publicly on the matter for the first time during a recent social media livestream, said the disappointment of missing out on the tournament for the second consecutive time was a painful experience for the national team.
The 2026 World Cup, which features 48 teams for the first time in the history of the competition, got underway last week with countries from across the world taking part.
However, Nigeria, one of Africa’s traditional football powerhouses, is missing from the tournament despite the continent receiving nine automatic qualification slots and an additional playoff berth.
Osimhen responded to the Super Eagles’ absence by saying that it hurt not just him but also the other players.
Osimhen said, “It’s bad, not just for me, but for the other guys.”
“We’ve lost out twice in a row. Life happens occasionally, so we simply need to keep going.
Many Nigerian football supporters, who had anticipated the Super Eagles’ return to the international scene after missing the 2022 tournament in Qatar, are in agreement with the striker’s comments.
The Super Eagles’ second-place performance in their qualifying group ruined Nigeria’s chances of making it to the 2026 World Cup. Their elimination from the expanded competition was confirmed when they were defeated by DR Congo in the continental playoffs.
Nigeria will miss the World Cup for the second time in a row as a result of the setback; they also did not qualify for the 2022 competition.
The Super Eagles were eliminated in the group stage of their most recent World Cup appearance, which took place in Russia in 2018.
Due to Nigeria’s ongoing exclusion from the competition, a number of players on the current national squad have not yet played on the biggest football platform.
Despite being one of the most well-known forwards in Africa, Osimhen is one of the players who hasn’t played for Nigeria in a senior FIFA World Cup.
Osimhen acknowledged that it was hard to accept the setback, but he added the players had no alternative but to move on and concentrate on upcoming tasks.
