‘Nigeria would have qualified’ - NFF Secretary explains why Super Eagles missed World Cup spot
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Nigeria Football Federation Secretary General Mohammed Sanusi has expressed confidence that the Super Eagles would have qualified for the FIFA World Cup if current head coach Eric Chelle had been in charge from the beginning of the qualifying campaign.
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Nigeria ultimately failed to secure a place at the tournament after being eliminated by DR Congo in the decisive playoff round.
What Sanusi said
Speaking during a conversation with journalist Osasu Obayiuwana, Sanusi pointed to instability within the coaching setup as a major reason behind the Super Eagles’ disappointing campaign.
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According to the NFF official, the team’s performances improved significantly after Chelle’s appointment.
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“If the type of results we had under Eric Chelle towards the end of the qualifiers were the kind of results we had throughout the campaign, I believe Nigeria would have qualified comfortably,” Sanusi said.
.@DrmSanusi, the General Secretary of @thenff, acknowledged one thing during my long discussion with him on Wednesday, in his office. “We know that Nigerians are very angry with us, over our failure to qualify for the #FIFAWorldCup. We totally understand the anger. We are also… pic.twitter.com/bu4BDpJVz2
— Osasu Obayiuwana (@osasuo) May 7, 2026
Despite arriving later in the campaign, Chelle managed to stabilise the squad and improve results leading the Super Eagles to a bronze finish at the 2025 AFCON in Morocco.
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With the disappointment of missing the World Cup still fresh, attention is now turning toward rebuilding and preparing the Super Eagles for 2027 AFCON.
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