Former Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president Amaju Pinnick has argued that the Super Eagles’ failure to reach the 2026 FIFA World Cup was influenced by the revamped qualification format introduced for the tournament.
The West African football heavyweight’s latest attempt to reach the global tournament ended in heartbreak after falling short in the qualifying series, marking their first back-to-back absence since 1994.
Despite advancing to the playoff stage, Nigeria ultimately lost to DR Congo in the decisive match on Sunday.
During the African playoff final, the three-time AFCON winners succumbed to defeat to DR Congo on penalties after playing out a 1-1 draw after extra-time.
The Leopards now stands a chance of securing a place at the global showpiece slated for next year, as they gears up for final playoff to be held in North America.
At a Big Sport Dialogue event in Ikoyi, Pinnick attributed their qualification setback to the new format.
“You said we did not qualify under me. We did not lose, and we did not win. If they had followed the same format they followed in 2018 — where we were in the most difficult group in the history of football with Zambia, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Algeria — we had two games to spare and qualified for the World Cup.” He said.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria will now have to focus on the upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations tournament to be held in Morocco between December 2025 and January 2026.
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