Amaju Pinnick claims Nigeria’s failure to reach the 2026 World Cup is a result of structural leadership lapses, insisting the Super Eagles would have qualified under his continued stewardship.
Former NFF president Amaju Pinnick has asserted that Nigeria would have qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup had he remained in office. Speaking on Sunday Oliseh’s Global Football Insights, Pinnick expressed disbelief over the failure despite the expanded 10-slot format for Africa, stating, “For the 2026 World Cup, if I were there, definitely, Nigeria would have qualified.”
Pinnick highlighted his administration’s success in the 2018 qualifiers but admitted the 2022 failure against Ghana still “haunts” him. While acknowledging current president Ibrahim Gusau, he argued that “there’s no basis for Nigeria not to have qualified” given the talent available. The Super Eagles recently crashed out after a dramatic penalty shootout loss to DR Congo in November.