‘Something is wrong’ – Ex-Chelsea star reacts to Nigeria missing 2026 World Cup

Former Chelsea and France international Florent Malouda has criticised Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, describing it as a “national disaster” given the country’s abundance of football talent.

The Super Eagles failed to qualify for the World Cup after losing to DR Congo in the African playoff.

The ex-winger, who once played alongside John Obi Mikel, echoed sentiments previously expressed by the former Super Eagles captain while reacting to Nigeria’s absence from football’s biggest stage.

Malouda expressed disbelief that a nation with Nigeria’s depth of talent could miss out on the World Cup, especially under the tournament’s expanded format.

According to him, the Super Eagles possess enough quality, both locally developed players and foreign-born stars to secure qualification without major difficulty.

He suggested that deeper structural or organisational issues may be responsible, insisting that “something is wrong” behind the scenes.

The former France international also pointed to the lost opportunity for Nigerian players to showcase their abilities on the global stage.

Highlighting the performances of Ademola Lookman in elite European competitions, Malouda noted that such talents deserved a platform like the World Cup to further elevate their profiles.

He stressed that the absence not only affects national pride but also denies players the chance to shine at the highest level of international football.

He said via Snabbare, “It's a national disaster for Nigeria to miss out on the World Cup. It's a national disaster for Nigeria to quote my former team-mate John Obi Mikel.

"With so much talent in Nigeria, and also with the English-born Nigerians, they should be qualifying for the World Cup easily, especially with the new format.

"Something is wrong. I don't want to point fingers, but Nigeria should be at the World Cup based on talent alone. So, those players miss an opportunity to shine at the biggest competition in the world, that's something that needs to be addressed as well because what you see Ademola Lookman doing in the Champions League, he could've potentially done it in the World Cup too.”