Former Super Eagles captain Mikel Obi has said that a drastic change, such as the sacking of the board of the Nigeria Football Federation, needs to happen if the Super Eagles fail to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, which will be played in the USA, Canada and Mexico, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The Super Eagles are on the brink of missing back-to-back FIFA World Cup tournaments after their poor run in the qualifying series, winning just two out of eight matches so far.
Led by coach Eric Chelle, who is the third man to handle the team in the qualifying series, the Super Eagles saw their hopes further fade away on Tuesday when they played out a 1-1 draw against South Africa in Bloemfontein.
Nigeria sit third in Group C with 11 points after eight matches, six points behind group leaders South Africa and three points behind the second-placed Benin Republic.
Though they still have an unlikely chance of making it, the team’s destiny is no longer in their hands, and Mikel believes the Ibrahim Gusau-led board has to go if the disappointment of missing the 2022 World Cup in Qatar repeats itself.
“If we don’t make it to the World Cup, I just think the whole board of the NFF have to go,” Mikel said on The Obi One Podcast.
“It is not acceptable that twice in a row we are not going to qualify for the World Cup. We are the biggest footballing country in Africa. I don’t care what anybody says, Nigeria is the biggest when it comes to African football.
Twice in a row we don’t qualify, something is wrong, a drastic change has to be made. If the government wants to, they have to get involved. Yes, the players have to take responsibility, but the biggest problem is from the top.
“You have to make the players motivated. The dream is not dead and buried yet. We have two games left, we have to support the team, but if we don’t make it, the drastic change has to happen, and the whole board has to go.”
With 11 points, the Super Eagles are still mathematically in the race for the 2026 World Cup.
Group leaders South Africa face a potential three-point deduction for fielding an ineligible player, Teboho Mokoena, during their win against Lesotho in March.
If FIFA enforces that eventually, it could change the dynamics of the group, but leaves it more open for the Benin Republic, who face Nigeria in the last game.
If the points deduction doesn’t happen, Bafana Bafana will need just a point in their next game against Zimbabwe to end Nigeria’s dream and condemn the three-time African champions to spectators for the second consecutive World Cup.
