“It’s a disaster” – Mikel Obi reveals who to blame for Super Eagles’ World Cup failure

Former Super Eagles captain John Mikel Obi has strongly criticised the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation following the team’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification failure, Afrik-Foot reports.

The former Chelsea FC midfielder believes those in charge of Nigerian football must accept responsibility for what he described as a disastrous campaign.

Nigeria endured a chaotic qualification process marked by instability on the coaching bench. During the campaign, the federation changed coaches four times, a situation many observers believe disrupted the team’s preparations and performance.

Despite the confusion, the Super Eagles still managed to finish second in their qualifying group behind long-time rivals South Africa, missing out on automatic qualification.

That result offered Nigeria a lifeline, as they progressed into the African playoff rounds. However, the dream of reaching the World Cup was eventually shattered when the team lost a penalty shoot-out to the DR Congo in November.

The defeat officially ended Nigeria’s campaign on the pitch, leaving many fans and former players deeply frustrated.

Mikel, who captained Nigeria for several years and won the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, believes the failure cannot simply be ignored.

Speaking to talkSPORT, the former midfielder said the scale of Nigeria’s disappointment should force major changes at the top of the federation.

“It’s a hammer blow and I’ve said it so many times again, when you have a country as big as we do, over 300million people, the biggest country in Africa and we’re not going to the World Cup (for a) second time in a row,” said the former Trabzonspor and Middlesbrough star.

“I’ve said it so many times that the FA, the people that are running the FA, they should all resign. They have to resign because it’s the second time it’s happened.

“We have one of the best teams in Africa and we’re not going to be in the World Cup. It’s a disaster. It’s a disaster.”

Super Eagles: NFF still holding onto FIFA decision

While criticism continues to grow, the Nigeria Football Federation insists the country’s World Cup dream might not yet be completely over.

The federation submitted a petition to FIFA in December 2025 after Super Eagles’ playoff defeat. The complaint questioned the eligibility of some players used by DR Congo during the qualifiers.

Nigeria’s case focuses on the participation of dual-nationality players, including former England youth internationals Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Axel Tuanzebe, who were alleged to have represented DR Congo improperly under FIFA’s nationality rules.

If FIFA were to rule in Nigeria’s favour, DR Congo could be disqualified from the qualification process. In that situation, Nigeria could potentially be reinstated and given a chance to compete in the intercontinental playoff tournament for a place at the 2026 World Cup.

Recent media reports suggested that FIFA had already confirmed DR Congo for the playoff stage, which many interpreted as the final end of Nigeria’s qualification hopes.

However, the NFF has rejected that interpretation and insists that it has not yet received any official decision from FIFA.

The federation says the situation remains unresolved and Nigeria’s hopes depend entirely on FIFA’s final ruling.

The uncertainty means that while Mikel Obi and many fans believe the campaign has already exposed deep problems within Nigerian football administration, the governing body is still waiting for a verdict that could, at least theoretically, reopen the door to the World Cup.