Ex-Super Eagles captain states why a third World Cup miss will ‘kill’ Nigeria

Former Super Eagles and Borussia Dortmund midfielder Sunday Oliseh has weighed in on Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Afrik Foot reports.

A penalty shoot-out loss to DR Congo back in November 2025 confirmed the three-time AFCON winners would be missing out on consecutive Mundial outings, although the NFF chose to chase shadows with their claims after.

Eric Chelle’s men couldn’t make up for the World Cup miss at the AFCON either, as all of their toils could only merit a bronze medal in Morocco.

Sunday Oliseh weighs in on Super Eagles’ World Cup absence

The ex-Juventus man participated in two World Cup tournaments with the Super Eagles, 1994 and 1998, even leading them to the 2002 edition in Japan/Korea.

However, he fell out with the Nigerian Football Federation leading up to the tournament, ultimately retiring from the national team.

With Italy failing to qualify for three consecutive World Cups, despite EURO success in 2021, Oliseh has urged Nigerian football to wake up, hence they’ll be minnows on the global stage they once dominated.

“A giant fell. Italy, a nation with four World Cups failed to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup, that’s twelve years, a proof that being a household name doesn’t win you games anymore, systems do,” the 1994 AFCON winner said on the Sunday Oliseh Global Football show.

“We must look at Italy and not mock them. I mean, who are we to mock them?

“If systems are the future, then the path for Nigeria is simple. It’s about work, not magic. DR Congo is going to the World Cup, it’s a bitter pill for many.

“The landscape has changed. If DR Congo can do it, we can do the same, if we start working now.

“How do we make sure that by 2030, we’re not the next Italy?

“The solutions are so simple. We’re restoring our pride. The World respected the Green White Green because we had a plan in 1994, and 1994.

“Let’s be honest, that success made us lazy, we believed talent is enough, and we didn’t need a system. Now, we’ve regressed, and an AFCON run won’t mask the truth

“We have world class dominance from Victor Osimhen, Akor Adams and Lookman, it’s a joy to watch them perform.

“To save our 2030 hopes, we need to do a cold check on our squad. For our current players, add four years to their age.

“If that number is over 32, we need an understudy in camp today. We cannot go into a war in 2030 with soldiers whose legs are gone.

“We must transition before it is too late. If we don’t move now, we’ll be the next Italy.

“Make no mistake, failure to qualify for the 2030 World Cup will kill Nigeria’s football definitively.

“It’s a mathematical truth, a 12-year-absence kills sponsorship, the dreams of the next generation is killed, and global relevance is lost,” the 51-year-old concluded.

Nigeria have four chances to field new talent next month. The 2026 Unity Cup presents an opportunity for two games, before the friendlies against Poland and Portugal.