Pinnick: Super Eagles Would Have Qualified for 2026 World Cup Under My Leadership

Pinnick: Super Eagles Would Have Qualified for 2026 World Cup Under My Leadership

By Niyi Busari 

Former President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, has expressed strong confidence that the Super Eagles would have secured qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup had he remained in charge of the federation, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

Speaking on Nigeria’s qualification struggles, Pinnick said the current situation came as a surprise, particularly given Africa’s expanded allocation of ten slots for the 2026 tournament.

“I honestly didn’t see this coming,” Pinnick said. “With ten African teams qualifying, there is really no basis for Nigeria not to be among them.”

Reflecting on past campaigns, Pinnick recalled Nigeria’s successful qualification for the 2018 World Cup despite being drawn in what was widely regarded as a ‘group of death.’

“In 2018, we had arguably the toughest group ever,” he explained. “Algeria were unbeaten in over 20 matches, Cameroon were the defending African champions, Zambia were also champions, and Nigeria was considered the underdog. Yet, we qualified with two games to spare. We worked relentlessly.”

He also referenced the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, where Nigeria narrowly missed out following a playoff defeat to Ghana under the away-goals rule.

“We did the same work in 2022, but the format changed to head-to-head,” Pinnick said. “Nobody gave Ghana a chance, but they came through. We didn’t lose that tie; we were eliminated on away goals.”

Pinnick admitted responsibility for Nigeria’s failure to qualify for previous World Cups and said the disappointment still weighs heavily on him.

“I took responsibility then, and I take responsibility now,” he stated. “It still haunts me that Nigeria didn’t qualify for the 2018 World Cup. I felt really bad. Nigerians should forgive us.”

However, the former NFF boss remained emphatic about the 2026 qualifiers, insisting that leadership and structure would have made the difference.

“For the 2026 World Cup, if I were there, Nigeria would definitely have qualified,” Pinnick said. “There is simply no justification for Nigeria missing out.”