FORMER Super Eagles captain John Obi Mikel has called on the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to step down following the national team’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
News Point Nigeria Sport reports that the tournament will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, but Nigeria will not be part of the global showpiece after crashing out during the African qualifying campaign.
Mikel, who captained the Super Eagles and earned 89 international caps, also urged the Federal Government to launch a full investigation into the team’s disappointing campaign, insisting that lessons must be learned to prevent a repeat of what he described as a “national football disaster.”
The former midfielder, who represented Nigeria at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2018 FIFA World Cup, said the failure to qualify from a relatively manageable group was unacceptable for a football powerhouse like Nigeria.
In an explosive interview published by TalkSport, Mikel insisted that those responsible for running Nigerian football should take responsibility for the team’s decline by stepping down.
“It’s a hammer blow,” he said.
“When you have a country as big as we do over 300 million people, the biggest country in Africa and we’re not going to the World Cup for a second time in a row, the FA, the people running the FA, should all resign.”
According to the former captain, missing two consecutive World Cups reflects deep structural problems within the federation.
“They have to resign because it’s the second time it has happened. We have one of the best teams in Africa and we’re not going to be at the World Cup. It’s a disaster,” he added.
Nigeria’s hopes of reaching the 2026 Mundial ended after the Super Eagles were defeated on penalties by the DR Congo national football team during the second round of African qualification in November.
The elimination came despite Nigeria being placed in a group with teams such as Rwanda national football team, Lesotho national football team, Zimbabwe national football team, Benin national football team, and South Africa national football team — opponents many analysts believed the Super Eagles should have comfortably overcome.
The defeat ensured Nigeria will miss back-to-back World Cups after also failing to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Mikel expressed concern that Nigeria is falling behind other African football powers, pointing to the rapid progress being made by Morocco national football team.
“African football is growing so much and we are being left behind,” he said.
“Nigeria has been left behind. We should be leading the way. Look at what Morocco is doing with their team and their country — they’re growing and developing while we keep going backwards time after time.”
Despite the setback, Nigeria may still have a faint chance of returning to the qualification race.
The Nigeria Football Federation has filed a petition to FIFA, accusing the DR Congo national football team of fielding ineligible players during the decisive African playoff final last year.
World football’s governing body is expected to announce its verdict before the upcoming inter-continental playoff scheduled to take place in Mexico City, Mexico, later this month.
If the petition succeeds, Nigeria could receive a lifeline that would reopen its path to the 2026 World Cup.
However, Mikel insists that regardless of the outcome, Nigerian football must undergo serious reforms to restore the country’s standing on the global stage.