Can Nigeria Still Qualify for 2026 World Cup

Can Nigeria Still Qualify for 2026 FIFA World Cup?

Aishik Das

Modified - Nov 17, 2025, 07:57 AM

3 min

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Can Nigeria Still Qualify for 2026 FIFA World Cup?

Summary

Nigeria endured a disappointing World Cup Qualifying campaign, finishing second behind South Africa and later losing on penalties to DR Congo in the playoff final, which ended their hopes of reaching the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Their elimination means they miss out on the intercontinental playoffs, where five teams will compete for the final two spots; this marks Nigeria’s second consecutive World Cup absence after also missing out in 2022.
Once a consistent World Cup participant, Nigeria’s recent decline has raised concerns, especially as nations like South Africa and DR Congo surge ahead, leaving the Super Eagles needing major improvements to revive their prospects for future tournaments, including 2030.

The Nigeria national football team had a very disappointing run in the World Cup Qualifiers, as they finished second to South Africa, who will be playing in a World Cup again after 16 years. The Super Eagles finished with 17 points out of 10 games, just one behind South Africa's 18. They had to play a playoff semifinal against Gabon, which they won quite convincingly by a margin of 4-1.

They were poised to face DR Congo in the final of the playoffs after the latter had come off a surprise win against Cameroon. It seemed that Nigeria would pass the test with flying colours against a team that had little to no experience at such a big stage, but the unexpected happened. The Super Eagles fell flat on their face after a 4-3 defeat on penalties, failing to qualify for the global gathering event in 2026. However, they can still find a way into the 2026 FIFA World Cup. You might have questions like, how can Nigeria qualify for the World Cup 2026 even after blowing their only chance of qualifying? Well, there remains a twist to the tale.

How can Nigeria still qualify for the World Cup 2026?

Let's have a quick look at Nigeria WC qualification. The Super Eagles have been knocked out of contention for the big event. If they had won their match against DR Congo, they would have qualified for the two intercontinental playoff matches, which are scheduled to be held in March next year. Five teams from six different confederations will play there for the final two spots of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Nigeria qualification World Cup scenarios ended with their loss against DR Congo, a hit that will take some time to heal, as the Super Eagles have now failed to qualify for their second consecutive World Cup after 2022.

There was a time when there were no second thoughts regarding Nigeria qualification World Cup. The Super Eagles have been an unusual force since the 2010 World Cup, with some strong performances throughout. However, their recent setbacks have pushed them further back among other African nations, which might be ringing alarm bells in Nigerian football already. With teams like DR Congo and South Africa resurging past all the hardships and making a name for themselves in African football, Nigeria needs to reflect on their performances to come back strong. Nigeria qualification World Cup in 2030 now seems to be a distant dream, with a lot of work to do to reclaim the glory days that once shaped the footballing scene in Africa.