TWO match days into the qualifiers, Nigeria’s Super Eagles are in real danger of missing out on the 2026 FIFA World Cup Finals holding in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Drawn in Group C and seeded, the Eagles uncharacteristically drew their first two matches with Lesotho and Zimbabwe, giving them two points out of a possible six. After their debut in 1994, and appearances in the 1998, 2002, 2010, 2014 and 2018 Finals, Nigeria may miss out on the World Cup for the second consecutive tournament.
The Eagles, ranked 40th in the world (sixth in Africa), drew 1-1 at home in Uyo to Lesotho, considered minnows in continental soccer. Despite an array of Europe-based stars, the Nigerians struggled to equalise after Lesotho went ahead in the November 16 opening encounter.
More despondency greeted the team four days after on match day two in Butare, Rwanda, where Zimbabwe are hosting their home matches. Poorly coached and playing without purpose, the Eagles conceded the first goal again and had to be content with a Kelechi Iheanacho equaliser.
These are uninspiring results that might eventually condemn Nigeria to another absence from the Mundial. Rwanda even reprieved Nigeria by beating South Africa 2-0 on match day two, but Nigeria spurned the offer.
With the apparent disorganisation in the ranks of the administrators, the optimism of qualifying is fading. It is not supposed to be so. All the other teams in Group C are well below Nigeria in the FIFA rankings. Ordinarily, this ought to give the Eagles an edge over South Africa (47th), Benin (93rd), Zimbabwe (125th), Rwanda (140th) and Lesotho (153rd). However, Nigeria’s lethargy makes nonsense of the permutations on paper.
On the field, the Achilles’ heel is that the Eagles are shorthanded in the goalkeeping department. Unlike the era of Vincent Enyeama, Nigeria now lack dependable goalkeepers. This cost the team the ticket to the Qatar 2022 World Cup Finals when Francis Uzoho conceded cheaply from Ghana’s Thomas Partey in the decisive second leg in Nigeria.
This weakness has cost the Eagles victory again in the 2026 qualifiers. If this is not fixed soonest, Nigeria might miss out on the sole group ticket to the World Cup. Also, it will diminish their chances of a good outing in the 2024 African Cup of Nations holding in Ivory Coast in January/February.
There are no more pushovers in African football. A Moroccan, Walid Regragui, marshalled the Atlas Lions to the record-breaking semifinals of Qatar 2022.
To recover from the early setback, the Eagles need a capable coach. The incumbent, Jose Peseiro, is tactically deficient. The caveat is that in appointing a Nigerian, his remuneration must be at par with his European counterparts and be consistently paid.
Off the field, the organisation must be better. Peseiro complained of lack of rest for the Zimbabwe encounter due to the long-haul flight to Rwanda. This is unacceptable. For many years, special arrangements had ensured that the Eagles arrived at match venues early in chartered flights. The Nigeria Football Federation should revive this.
Years of ineffective football administration are taking their toll. Sports ministers turn the elections into the NFF board into politics, abnegating merit. The quality of the domestic football league is poor. Players escape to Europe, where, with better coaching and organisation, they excel.
Therefore, the NFF should be reorganised and peopled with intelligent, versatile, and progressive administrators, who can turn around the fortunes of the domestic league as the basis for a sound national team.
