Sunday Oliseh’s two worrying reasons Super Eagles could miss 2030 World Cup

Nigeria missed the last two editions of the FIFA World Cup and former Super Eagles captain and coach Sunday Oliseh believes the warning signs for the 2030 tournament are already clear, Afrik-Foot reports.

The Super Eagles have not played at the World Cup since the 2018 tournament in Russia. Since then, Nigeria has suffered heartbreak in qualifying for both Qatar 2022 and the expanded 2026 World Cup, despite Africa receiving more qualification places for the latter competition.

The first setback came in March 2022 against fierce rivals Ghana. Nigeria topped their second-round qualifying group, which included Cape Verde, Liberia and the Central African Republic, but the campaign was far from convincing. Those mixed performances led to the dismissal of long-serving coach Gernot Rohr just before the decisive playoff.

Augustine Eguavoen took charge on an interim basis for the two-legged tie against Ghana. The first match in Kumasi ended 0-0, leaving everything to play for in Abuja.

However, disaster struck early in the return leg when Thomas Partey scored in the 10th minute. William Troost-Ekong equalised from the penalty spot, but Nigeria failed to score again. The match finished 1-1, allowing Ghana to qualify for the World Cup on the away-goals rule.

Four years later, another opportunity slipped away despite FIFA increasing the World Cup from 32 to 48 teams and Africa receiving nine automatic qualification spots.

Nigeria made a poor start to the 2026 qualifying campaign under José Peseiro and later Finidi George, collecting just three points from their opening four matches after disappointing draws against Lesotho and Zimbabwe and a defeat to Benin Republic.

Eric Chelle later steadied the team, helping the Super Eagles recover to finish second in Group C with 17 points, one behind South Africa on 18. That forced Nigeria into the CAF mini-playoffs.

The Super Eagles defeated Gabon 4-1 in the playoff semi-final before drawing 1-1 with DR Congo in the final. Nigeria then lost on penalties, ending another World Cup dream. A protest by the Nigeria Football Federation over DR Congo’s alleged use of ineligible dual-nationality players was later dismissed by FIFA.

Super Eagles: Oliseh fears history could repeat itself

Oliseh, who represented Nigeria at the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cups before later coaching the Super Eagles, believes the country is already falling behind in preparation for the next qualifying campaign.

Speaking after the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, which was won by Spain, the former Juventus midfielder pointed to the impressive performances of several African nations, especially Cape Verde.

The island nation became one of the tournament’s surprise packages. Their exciting Round of 32 clash against Argentina won many admirers, while veteran goalkeeper Vozinha was voted by fans as one of the tournament’s standout performers.

That World Cup experience, Oliseh is convinced, gives Cabo Verde an advantage over Nigeria’s rebuilding squad.

He also compared Nigeria’s situation to four-time world champions Italy, who have now failed to qualify for three consecutive World Cups.

“It is difficult addressing the issues of Nigerian football because most of our people get emotional and they don’t allow for reason,” Oliseh stated as per BrilaMedia.

“It’s scary If we are not careful we will be repeating what happened to Italy; who missed a third straight World Cup tournament.

“Imagine now in the next qualifiers that you are grouped with Cape Verde; they just got a huge World Cup experience.

“The next group of (Super Eagles) players coming up against Cape Verde – if we find ourselves in the same group – will have no real World Cup experience because of their ages.

“Only Iwobi and Ndidi featured at the 2018 tournament, we are talking in four years time. From that point of view we really are in danger.”

Why the race to the 2030 World Cup is already underway

The 2030 FIFA World Cup promises to be unlike any other tournament in history. It will be hosted mainly by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, while Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay will stage special centenary opening matches to celebrate 100 years since the first World Cup in 1930.

The tournament is currently planned to feature 48 teams, the same format used in 2026, although FIFA is studying a proposal to expand the competition to 64 teams for its centenary edition.

The main tournament is expected to begin in mid-June 2030 after opening celebrations in South America, with the final scheduled for July 21. Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay have already secured automatic qualifications as hosts.

Oliseh believes Nigeria cannot afford to wait before preparing for that challenge. With a population of more than 220 million people and one of Africa’s richest football traditions, he says the Super Eagles have enough talent to compete with the world’s best, provided the country’s football structures improve.

“When you have 220 million people there’s an advantage; you have the numbers, all you have to do is put your house in order. We have to act, in fact we are already running late. Preparation for the next World Cup should have started 3 months ago.”

After missing Qatar 2022 and the 2026 tournament in North America, the pressure is now on Nigeria to avoid a third straight World Cup absence.