‘They are even blaming themselves’ - Ex- Super Eagles star faults players for World Cup failure

Nigeria's absence from the tournament, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, is particularly painful as Africa will be represented by a record ten nations. 

With their World Cup aspirations over, the Super Eagles will now shift their focus to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, which are scheduled to begin in September.

Nigeria have been drawn in Group L alongside Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, and Tanzania for the tournament.

In a recent interview, Iloenyosi, who earned four caps for his country, dismissed the notion that coaching instability was the primary reason for the team's poor qualifying campaign. 

Despite the team having three different coaches during the qualifiers, the former Al-Ittihad defender believes the players failed to perform when it mattered most.

"Why we did not qualify for the World Cup is the players. It's the fault of the players because you can see the games, they are even blaming themselves. They are not happy," Iloenyosi stated.

The 47-year-old acknowledged the disappointment felt within the squad, noting the missed opportunity for players to showcase their talent on the world's biggest stage.

"How can I be happy? Players are feeling very, very bad, of course. If they have a chance to be in the World Cup, they will be in the World Cup to prove themselves," he said. "Some people in the national team might not see the World Cup again because of their age."

Iloenyosi also lamented the timing of the failure, suggesting that the team was beginning to show signs of improvement under the current coach. "I'm not happy we did not qualify... we've gotten a coach that came to stabilise the team. 

“If you see the standard of the games we are playing now, you can know the coach wants the team to improve," he added.