Sports editor and journalist, Opeyemi Akinyode, has reacted to Nigeria’s performance in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, saying the Super Eagles did not deserve a place at the tournament.
Akinyode, who spoke on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Monday, commented after DR Congo shattered Nigeria’s 2026 World Cup hopes.
According to him, “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 blamed the setback on those handling sports administration, saying they do not understand how deep and demanding the business of sports has become globally.
“Serious teams are already going to the World Cup. They are already signing media partnerships. But 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.
Akinyode added that Nigeria’s football struggles stemmed from a continuous recycling process within sports leadership, which, according to him, “throws away competence and brings in mediocrity on the altar of patronage.”
He warned that the result witnessed in the qualifiers is the natural outcome of such administrative failures, noting that “this is what we are going to have.
READ ALSO: DR Congo Shatters Nigeria’s 2026 World Cup Dream
Nigeria lost their qualifying match against DR Congo and won’t be at the 2026 World Cup in Canada, the US, and Mexico.
This was after the Super Eagles lost on penalties in a tightly-contested African play-offs final on Sunday.
The game ended 1-1 after normal and extra time. But during penalties, the Leopards of DR Congo overpowered the Super Eagles 3-4 to pick Africa’s sole ticket for the intercontinental play-offs billed for March next year.
Nigeria had taken the lead, just three minutes into the final game in Rabat, Morocco.
Midfielder Frank Onyeka struck just within minutes of the game to give Nigeria the advantage.
Source: Channels TV
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