‘I feel bad about not playing at the World Cup' – Osimhen laments Super Eagles’ failure

Nigeria's Victor Osimhen has revealed that he is still struggling to come to terms with their absence from the 2026 World Cup.

The team's star forward has broken his silence to share the immense pain of watching the tournament from the sidelines.

The Galatasaray forward Victor Osimhen shared his deep frustration during a live broadcast on Twitch, admitting that missing the tournament is incredibly painful for this generation of players.

“I feel bad about not playing at the World Cup. This is the second time in a row. I was talking with the other guys and they feel the same way too, but that is life, we move on,” Osimhen relayed.

Despite scoring eight crucial goals during the qualifying phase, the lethal attacker could not single-handedly drag his country to North America.

The Super Eagles were pushed out of the tournament during a tense, heartbreaking playoff battle against DR Congo, which ended 1-1 after extra time, before a cruel 4-3 penalty shootout defeat sealed their fate.

This marks the second time in a row that the three-time African champions have failed to reach the global showpiece, after also missing out on the 2022 edition in Qatar.

Reflecting on the painful situation, Osimhen admitted that he has discussed the setback with his international teammates, who all share the exact same feeling of disappointment.

The twenty-seven-year-old striker noted that while the reality is harsh, the team must find a way to learn from these mistakes and look toward the future.

Nigeria has participated in the World Cup six times, and their absence removes one of Africa's biggest soccer giants from the current tournament.

The entire federation must now reset and completely rebuild their tactical setup as they prepare for the long journey to qualify for the 2030 tournament.