The Super Eagles of Nigeria are at risk of missing out on the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, and a former player has named who to blame.
Nigeria are drawn in Group C for CAF’s qualifying phase alongside Zimbabwe, Lesotho, South Africa, Rwanda and Benin Republic, the last two they also faced in the AFCON 2025 qualifier.
Jose Peseiro passing instructions to Victor Osimhen during the 2023 AFCON final. Photo by Franck Fife/AFP.
Source: Getty Images
The Eagles played draws against Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and South Africa and lost 2-1 against Benin Republic in June, a match that forced Finidi George to resign.
Ambrose points finger at Peseiro
Nigeria had two managers for the four games, with Jose Peseiro coaching against Lesotho and Zimbabwe while Finidi coached the games against South Africa and Benin.
AFCON 2013 winning defender Efe Ambrose has singled out Portuguese manager Peseiro for blame if the Eagles, unfortunately, miss their second consecutive World Cup.
“They started with a game at home against Lesotho and an away game to Zimbabwe, with all due respect those are the kind of games you expect the Super Eagles to win comfortably and set the tone for the rest of the qualifiers,” he told OwnGoal Nigeria.
“Those two draws in their opening games brought about the pressure in their last two games, after those games they played against South Africa and Benin Republic, two teams who can easily pass among the strongest in the group.”
He blamed the two draws for the Eagles’ position, claiming Peseiro should have helped the team build momentum going into the other games.
“However I hope they make it to the World Cup because I can’t imagine Nigeria missing out on two straight world cups,” he concluded.
According to Leagues Reporter, Bruno Labbadia is back on the NFF’s radar after a previous agreement collapsed, and his first duty would be to qualify for the World Cup if hired.
Peseiro speaks on Lookman’s win
Legit reported that Peseiro reflected on Lookman’s win at the 2024 CAF awards and pointed at the key factor that helped the winger’s growth into the best player in Africa.
The former FC Porto manager credited Gian Piero Gasperini and Atalanta for giving Lookman the freedom to play anywhere he wants, making him excel at the top level.
