Super Eagles Captain Sounds Alarm, Breaks Silence on Nigeria’s FIFA World Cup Qualifying Crisis
- Super Eagles' substantive captain, Ahmed Musa, admits Nigeria needs a miracle to reach the 2026 FIFA World Cup
- Nigeria currently sit fourth in the qualifiers group, six points behind Group C leaders South Africa
- The NFF and Super Eagles players recently held an emergency meeting to strategise for the remaining games
Super Eagles captain Ahmed Musa has admitted that Nigeria's chances of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup are hanging by a thread, warning that only a miracle can rescue the national team.
The three-time African champions have stuttered in the qualification series after winning only one match out of the six played so far.
Source: Getty Images
Speaking during his first press conference as General Manager of Nigeria Premier Football League side Kano Pillars, the veteran forward did not sugarcoat the current situation, OwnGoal Nigeria reports.
"Honestly, we're in deep sh*t. Only a miracle would take Nigeria to the World Cup," Musa told reporters.
His thoughts echoed the growing frustration among fans and players alike that Nigeria could be set to miss back-to-back FIFA World Cups.
Nigeria, one of Africa’s football giants, currently sits fourth in their World Cup qualifying group, six points behind table-toppers South Africa, as seen on FIFA.com.
With only four games remaining in the qualifiers, the margin leaves little room for error, especially after missing out on the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
The upcoming clash against South Africa in September now carries immense weight.
To little, too late for Nigeria
In the same light, Nigerian football expert, Toritseju Williams in an exclusive chat with Legit.ng believes it is practically impossible for Eric Chelle to rescue Nigeria's World Cup dreams.
"With only one win in six matches, the Super Eagles have not shown they deserve to be at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
"Now, everyone is turning to Eric Chelle to perform a miracle. Unfortunately, football does not work like that."
FIFA ruling could offer Nigeria a lifeline
Despite the grim outlook, there might be a sliver of hope for the Super Eagles.
FIFA is reportedly set to deduct three points from South Africa for fielding an ineligible player in their 2-0 win over Lesotho during the last round of games.
Should the decision go through, Nigeria could move within just three points of the group leaders, rekindling faint hopes of qualifying for the World Cup.
However, Musa insists that the team cannot rely solely on technicalities or administrative rulings to secure a World Cup spot.
NFF holds crisis talks with players
In a bid to salvage Nigeria’s disastrous World Cup campaign, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) held an emergency session with the Super Eagles’ players and technical crew three weeks ago.
Source: Getty Images
According to Guardian NG, an NFF official confirmed the meeting was aimed at mapping out a successful route for the remaining qualifiers.
With qualification now a do-or-die affair for Eric Chelle’s team, the federation has charged the players with the daunting task of winning all remaining matches, starting with South Africa in September.
The pressure is high, and the expectations even higher.
Missing back-to-back FIFA World Cups could be detrimental to Nigerian football after the country missed out on the 2022 edition in Qatar, after they were edged by West African rivals Ghana.
Chelle upbeat about Nigeria’s chances
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle has emphasised the need for improvement if Nigeria is to secure a spot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The former Mali manager expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance during the Unity Cup. He also stressed that the three-time AFCON champions must play as a cohesive unit, both defensively and in attack.
Source: Legit.ng
