Nigerian football icon Segun Odegbami has claimed the football world missed the opportunity to witness one of the tournament’s strongest teams after the Super Eagles failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, insisting Nigeria would have been “unstoppable” on the global stage.
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The former Green Eagles captain made the bold assertion while reflecting on the performances of African nations at the expanded World Cup, arguing that Nigeria possessed enough quality, experience and attacking firepower to compete with the very best teams in the competition.
Nigeria’s absence from the Mundial has remained one of the biggest talking points in African football, with several former internationals expressing regret that one of the continent’s traditional powerhouses was not among the ten African representatives.
“After watching the tournament, I genuinely believe Nigeria would have been a force to reckon with. The world has missed the opportunity to see some of our best players on this stage,” Odegbami said.
The 1980 Africa Cup of Nations winner noted that the current generation of Super Eagles stars features players competing regularly in Europe’s top leagues, adding that the squad has the talent to challenge any opponent when properly prepared.
Odegbami, fondly known as ‘Mathematical’, lamented that football fans around the world were denied the chance to watch Nigerian stars perform at the biggest tournament in the sport.
“We have players capable of troubling the biggest nations. Looking at how the tournament has unfolded, I believe Nigeria would have been very difficult to stop,” he added.
The former winger, widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s greatest footballers, urged the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to treat the World Cup disappointment as a lesson by prioritising long-term planning, technical stability and youth development ahead of the next qualification campaign.
With preparations already shifting towards the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations and the road to the 2030 FIFA World Cup, Odegbami believes Nigeria has all the ingredients needed to return to football’s biggest stage—but only if the mistakes that led to consecutive qualification failures are addressed.
