MINISTER of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has expressed disappointment over Nigeria’s absence from the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, saying Nigerians are unhappy that the Super Eagles failed to qualify for the global football showpiece.
News Point Nigeria Sport reports that Wike spoke on Wednesday during the commissioning of the Gwagwalada-Kuje Road project in Abuja, where former Super Eagles captain, Joseph Yobo, was among the dignitaries in attendance.
The minister lamented that despite Nigeria’s rich football pedigree and the number of players of Nigerian heritage currently featuring at the World Cup, it remains difficult to accept that the country is not represented at the tournament.
Addressing Yobo during the event, Wike said Nigerians deserved better from the national team.
“Yes, we have congratulated one of our stars, Joseph Yobo. But let me use this medium through you to tell the Super Eagles: we are not happy,” the minister said.
“If nobody else will tell you that—because I saw people clapping for you the moment they saw the Super Eagles, I said, ‘I won’t clap.’ I won’t clap because I watch the World Cup. I see countries I have never heard of before qualifying to play in the World Cup, and I am sitting down for hours watching countries that are completely unknown.
“In this contest, we have no less than 13 top Nigerian players playing all over the world, but here we are; we did not qualify. Yobo, go and tell them. We are not happy.”
Wike’s remarks reflect the frustration of many football fans following Nigeria’s failure to qualify for a second consecutive FIFA World Cup tournament.
Nigeria missed out on the North America 2026 tournament after suffering defeat to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the African playoff tournament last year.
The Super Eagles, who made their World Cup debut in 1994 and have since become one of Africa’s most recognisable football teams, were forced into the playoffs after missing out on an automatic qualification ticket despite ending their qualifying campaign with a 4-0 victory over neighbouring Benin Republic.
The team, however, secured a lifeline by finishing among the four best second-placed teams in the qualification race and advanced to the African playoffs.
Nigeria defeated Gabon in their opening playoff fixture but saw their World Cup hopes dashed after a painful penalty shootout loss to DR Congo.
The result handed the Leopards the opportunity to represent Africa in the intercontinental playoffs, where they eventually secured one of the continent’s tickets to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
As the tournament continues across North America, Nigeria’s absence remains a sore point for many supporters, with Wike’s comments underscoring the disappointment felt by football enthusiasts across the country.