‘Back to the drawing board’ for Nigeria after World Cup qualifying failure

Nigeria fans are coming to terms with the fact the three-time continental champions will miss successive World Cups after a disjointed qualifying campaign which included two changes of manager and players boycotting training.

A squad boasting talents such as Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman and Alex Iwobi could not clinch one of the 48 places at the expanded 2026 finals after being beaten on penalties by DR Congo in Africa’s play-off final on Sunday night.

It was at the 1994 finals in the United States that Nigeria exploded on to the global football scene by reaching the last 16 on their World Cup debut, before winning gold at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

But the fifth-ranked side in Africa will not be able to add to that list of achievements when the United States hosts the tournament again next year, along with Mexico and Canada.

Nigeria failed to build on their perfect start against DR Congo after Frank Onyeka’s early strike put them ahead, with Meschack Elia equalising just after half an hour.

The Super Eagles barely threatened after talisman Osimhen was went off injured at half-time.

In the penalty shootout, Fulham defender Calvin Bassey scooped his effort over the bar for Nigeria before Moses Simon and Hull City centre-back Semi Ajayi had their spot-kicks saved.

Nigeria coach Eric Chelle went as far as accusing a member of the DR Congo technical staff of “voodoo” while his side were taking penalties.

Just when it seemed Nigeria would be fully focused on the play-offs, their preparations were hit by off-field issues.

After arriving in Morocco, Nigeria players and technical staff boycotted training just two days before their semi-final against Gabon in a dispute over unpaid allowances and match bonuses.

Supporters saw it as symptomatic of deeper governance issues in the NFF, expressing anger at administrative failings and poor leadership which led to the boycott.

The issue was resolved the following day, with centre-back William Troost-Ekong saying the side were “united and focused on representing Nigeria with our maximum”.

Quite simply, Nigeria were not good enough over the course of the two-year qualification campaign.

Changes in the dugout did not help matters, and statistics show an inability to perform without Osimhen leading the line, with just four points taken from a possible 15 when the Galatasaray striker was out injured.

Nigeria were drawn alongside South Africa, Benin, Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Lesotho in Group C, and squeezed into the play-offs despite being top seeds.

They drew 1-1 at home against Lesotho and played out a stalemate with Zimbabwe under manager Jose Peseiro in November 2023.

The Portuguese then departed at the end of his contract in March 2024, despite guiding Nigeria to the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).

The campaign paused as Augustine Eguavoen oversaw successful qualification for the 2025 Afcon, with Chelle then appointed manager in January and tasked with leading the Nigeria to the 2026 World Cup.

He won four of his first six competitive games – though a last-minute equaliser at home to Zimbabwe in March was a setback and Nigeria showed scant ambition as they settled for a 1-1 draw in South Africa in October.

Nigeria fans have been lamenting their exit on social media, decrying disjointed performances on the pitch and the failings of the NFF off it.

Given many Nigeria players are developed at academies in Europe, a lack of investment in local facilities has been highlighted.

“The way Nigeria runs its football is a metaphor for Nigeria’s internal governance as a whole,” journalist David Hundeyin wrote on X.

“It has achieved an outrageous amount of success relative to the actual work it has put in, and success without work has now become a national expectation.”

With just 36 days until their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations campaign kicks off against Tanzania on 23 December, the Super Eagles must quickly refocus.

“It’s a wake-up call”, Abiodun Ogunjimi, a member of the Nigeria Football Supporters Club, told BBC Sport Africa.

“Hopefully Nigeria will come out of this. We’ll go back to the drawing board and fix our problems.”

The NFF will likely assess Chelle’s position, given delivering a place at the World Cup was the main target in his contract.

The 48-year-old will be under more scrutiny given he was the first non-Nigerian African man to be placed in charge of the Super Eagles, though he had started to build a more cohesive side with an identity in recent games.

Whether another managerial change is constructive in the short term remains to be seen, but the NFF must produce a blueprint for the nation to return to the World Cup finals in 2030.