Former Super Eagles captain John Mikel Obi has voiced deep concern over Nigeria’s faltering 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign.
He warned that a second consecutive failure to reach the tournament would be a national disaster.
Nigeria missed the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and now faces the prospect of back-to-back absences.
Mikel insists such a scenario is unacceptable and has demanded sweeping reforms at the top of Nigerian football administration.
“If we don’t make it to the World Cup, if we don’t qualify, I just think the whole board of the NFF needs to go. They need to go. Sorry, they have to go because it’s not acceptable,” Mikel lamented.
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“Twice in a row we’re not going to qualify for the World Cup? We are the biggest footballing country in Africa. I don’t care what anybody says. When it comes to African football, we’re the biggest. So something is wrong.
“A drastic change has to be made. If the government wants to get involved, they have to get involved because it’s not acceptable.”
The former Chelsea midfielder pointed to leadership failures at the Nigeria Football Federation as the root cause of the crisis.
“I feel for people in Nigeria because they’re going to be devastated right now—again, for the second time running, we’re not going to qualify for the World Cup. Yes, the players have to take responsibility, but the biggest problem is from the top,” he added.
Mikel fears that Nigeria missing out on football’s biggest stage for the second time in a row would further damage the country’s reputation as a powerhouse in African football.
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