Sports journalist and analyst Opeyemi Akinyode has criticised Nigeria’s performance in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, asserting that the Super Eagles do not deserve a place at the tournament. His comments follow Nigeria’s defeat to DR Congo, which effectively ended their World Cup campaign.
Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Monday, Akinyode highlighted administrative failures within Nigerian football as a major reason for the national team’s poor showing. He argued that sports leadership in the country lacks understanding of the global demands and intricacies of professional football.
“You can’t give what you don’t have. We don’t deserve to be at the World Cup. Serious teams go via the regular qualifiers; you can’t go through the back doors. Maybe the God of soccer wanted a second chance for us,” he said, noting that well-managed national teams are already securing sponsorships and media partnerships.
Akinyode pointed out that Nigeria’s football administration is riddled with inefficiencies. “Do you know that we barely have an official photographer for the NFF? They pick pictures from bloggers. It’s as simple as that,” he said, highlighting the lack of basic professional infrastructure in Nigerian football.
He attributed the country’s struggles to a “continuous recycling process” in sports leadership, which discards competence and promotes mediocrity through patronage. According to the analyst, this systemic issue directly impacts the quality of national team performances.
Reflecting on the qualifiers, Akinyode warned that Nigeria’s poor results are a predictable outcome of these administrative shortcomings. “This is what we are going to have,” he remarked, urging reforms to elevate the country’s football management standards.
Nigeria’s defeat to DR Congo sealed the Super Eagles’ fate, confirming that they will not participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. The loss has intensified calls for structural reforms within the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF).
