'It is painful to watch' - Super Eagles legend on Nigeria missing 2026 World Cup

Former Super Eagles midfielder and veteran coach Kadiri Ikhana has expressed his disappointment over Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, describing the situation as a source of embarrassment for a football-loving nation blessed with immense talent.

The former CAF Coach of the Year admitted that watching the tournament without the Super Eagles has been difficult, especially as several nations he believes are less talented have secured places on football’s biggest stage.

Speaking about Nigeria’s absence from the competition, Ikhana did not hide his frustration.

He said, “I feel ashamed watching the World Cup. It is painful seeing countries that are not at the level of the Super Eagles participating while we are at home watching on television.”

The 74-year-old believes Nigeria's failure to qualify for a second consecutive World Cup is a reflection of mistakes made during the qualification campaign rather than a lack of talent.

According to him, the country should never have found itself outside a tournament that features a record number of African representatives.

He added, “When ten African countries qualified and Nigeria was not among them, it shows something went wrong. This is a problem we created ourselves because we were not serious when it mattered most.”