AFCON 2025
Former Super Eagles forward, Osaze Odemwingie, has expressed deep disappointment over Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, describing the situation as painful for him and fans of Nigerian football.
Speaking to Brila.net, the former striker said the reality of Nigeria missing out on the tournament only truly hit him when he saw merchandise linked to the competition. He explained that he had been ordering a Nigerian shirt when he noticed it labelled as a World Cup edition.
“Recently, it touched me that Nigeria won’t go to the World Cup. I was so sad last week,” Odemwingie said. “I was ordering this Nigerian shirt, and one of them was given the label ‘Nigeria’s World Cup shirt,’ but we are not going.”
Odemwingie, who is 44 years old, said his love for football remains strong and emotional, adding that even small details around major tournaments still excite him. He noted that seeing kits and camp materials for international competitions always gave him joy, which made Nigeria’s absence even harder to accept.
“I can get excited even about the bag they will drop for AFCON camp or World Cup camp,” he said. “When I saw the kits, I said Nike already had a design for our World Cup kit, and our boys would have worn it. As someone who loves football, the child in me was sad.”
He also said Nigeria’s absence is a setback not only for the country but for global football, stressing that fans enjoy watching Nigerian players because of their pace and physical style. According to him, the disappointment should push stakeholders to take qualifiers more seriously in the future.
Reflecting on his playing days, Odemwingie called for better commitment and planning within the national team setup. He recalled difficult moments during qualifiers when teams struggled to even assemble a full squad.
“We have to take every match in the qualifiers seriously,” he said. “Even in my days, sometimes we didn’t even have 18 players available. So every game must be treated like the last one.”
Odemwingie, who represented Nigeria at the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups and earned 63 caps, added that African football has become more competitive and no match can be taken lightly anymore.
