It's painful — Legend complains about Super Eagles fortunes despite Poland result

Former Nigeria international Obafemi Martins has expressed profound disappointment over the Super Eagles' failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, admitting that the national team's recent brilliant performances make their absence from the global showpiece all the more painful.

Speaking to the New Telegraph, the 41-year-old legendary striker, who famously earned 42 caps and scored 18 goals for his country, including making two official appearances at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, rued the missed opportunity. 

"That Nigeria is not going to the World Cup, I'm not happy about that. I'm a fan even though I used to play for the Super Eagles, I'm a fan, and I think they should gather themselves together and try to play as a team and prepare for the World Cup (2030)," Martins declared. 

Acknowledging the squad's current high-level displays, he added, "We have to work and see how it goes at the end... The current form of our players all round is very impressive, and this makes the World Cup absence so painful."  

The devastating reality of missing the upcoming tournament across North America means Nigeria has now failed to reach two consecutive World Cups, having also missed out on the 2022 edition in Qatar. 

The failure to secure a ticket to the 2026 competition is particularly frustrating given the multiple, unprecedented lifelines the Super Eagles received during the qualification campaign.

The team shockingly failed to advance despite a three-point deduction handed to group rivals South Africa, a highly favourable CAF deduction of points won against bottom sides, and a subsequent final playoff opportunity. 

This string of qualification missteps contrasts with their current brilliant run of form under Eric Chelle, a resurgence most recently highlighted by a super impressive 2-2 draw against the Polish national football team on Wednesday, June 3. 

Taking some solace in the team's ongoing rebuild despite the overarching qualification disaster, Martins praised the current squad's resilience and attacking intent, stating: "I'm so happy for the new invitees because they all gave a good account of themselves and I think they played quite well and I'm proud of that.”