2026 FIFA World Cup: Fear grips Nigerians
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AS March 17 approaches swiftly with a clash against table-toppers Rwanda in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, there’re palpable fears that Nigeria may not pick a ticket for the Mundial to be jointly hosted by USA, Canada and Mexico.Unfortunately, the Super Eagles are currently precariously placed second-to-last in their Group C with three meager points off a possible 12, having played four of their five group opponents, leaving them six matches to determine their fate of picking a ticket to join the party of 48 teams expanded from 32.
The tournament which takes place from June 11 to July 19, 2026 is the first time that 48 teams will be playing. It is the first time 16 cities in three North American countries: Canada, Mexico, and the United States will be hosting. And the chances of seeing Nigeria’s green white green flag hoisted with the other 47 flags look remote.
Sports Vanguard spoke to a cocktail of ex-internationals who confessed that despite the actions and inactions of the Nigeria Football Federation by appointing a Malian coach, Eric Sekou Chelle and the nation pulling its resources together by setting up a support group(Presidential Support Group, PSG), the journey looks slippery and unachieveable.
For the records, the Super Eagles missed out on the 2022 World Cup played in Qatar.
‘’We’re already in a deep mess. It’s a tough call. I don’t know how they’re going to do it. It’s easy to say that Nigeria will qualify. Truly, I want Nigeria to qualify as a Nigerian. But we should ask NFF how Nigeria got to this crossroad’’, Chairman Christian Chukwu volunteered after initially declining to talk on the predicament of his beloved Super Eagles.
‘’Anyway, there’s nothing that prayer cannot do. We have to pray hard because our opponents are also working and praying. NFF has given us a new coach from Mali,” he chuckled. “Even though I don’t know his pedigree, a coach is a coach”, Chukwu, one of the finest players of his era and captain of the Green Eagles who won the Nations Cup in 1980, said.
Another ex-international, Edema Fuludu said that a lot needs to be done even as he said that Nigeria’s opponents would not go to sleep to allow Nigeria easy passage to pick the ticket. ‘’A lot has gone wrong already. On a scale of 1-10, we would get to 4. It’s not gonna be easy. For patriotism sake, I say yes, we can qualify but it’s an easy task’’.
On the new Super Eagles coach, Eric Chelle, he says, ‘’ NFF believes that perhaps he is a talisman or an oracle that can conjure things and make miracles. At the end, it boils down to the players. Not the coach. Players make the coach’’.
Rwanda in Kigali and win the home game against Zimbabwe. They must not drop a point and there must be no room for complacency’’, he said.
Friday Ekpo termed Nigeria’s dream of winning all six remaining matches to qualify for the World Cup an uphill task. ‘’Nothing is impossible in football but it looks like a mirage. First, the attitude of the players will determine how hungry they are for the task ahead. We should have gone for a better coach in a dire situation like this. Not a coach with five caps in a national team who coached unknown clubs.
We have to support him. It’s a pity that the NFF hired a coach like him. Augustine Eguavoen is better than him in all standards. He does not know the players. Is it the NFF that will pick the players for him? We’re starting afresh with him and we do not need that at a time like this. It’s a very difficult road but there’s nothing God cannot do. Let’s support him.
