Super Eagles may not qualify for World Cup – AFCON 2013 hero

The Super Eagles of Nigeria sit fourth in the 2026 World Cup qualifying group with seven points…

Former Super Eagles and West Bromwich Albion forward, Brown Ideye, has opined that the Nigerian Football team have little to no hope of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Soccernet.ng reports.

The 36-year-old striker etched his name into Nigeria’s football history in South Africa, starting all of the Super Eagles’ knockout games as they sealed the AFCON 2013 title under Stephen Keshi.

Although Ideye never represented the three-time AFCON Champions at a FIFA World Cup tournament, he aired his disappointment about the current squad Nigeria possesses.

Eric Chelle’s side have won just one of their six qualifying games and are fourth on their group table, meaning they must win their remaining four fixtures to stand a chance of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.

Having already missed the 2022 edition of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, it’ll be further heartbreak for Nigerians if the Super Eagles miss another edition of the biggest football tournament.

While several have urged Chelle’s side to give their all to stand a chance to qualify, Ideye remains a pessimist, stating they’ll most likely not achieve their coveted goal.

“With the present form, I don’t think we are going to qualify, unless and maybe if something changes,” the former Enyimba International forward said in an interview with Official54x.

“That’s because we always forget to do our job at the right time. We then look for someone else to clean up our mess for us. Why do we keep on doing this?”

“Why can’t we just win our games and let other people do the counting, the calculations, and the maths? Why do we keep on doing it the hard way?

“We started very, very badly again. It’s very, very, bad for a country that has 200 million plus people. Every time the national team is playing, people leave their jobs, close their shops, and put aside everything.”

“Right now, a lot of people have given up on this team. A lot of people don’t believe in them again.

“Even if they eventually qualify for the World Cup, they will have to get to a great stage for people to start believing in them again. Maybe like getting to the semi-final, which we have never, never reached,” the ex-Dynamo Kyiv man concluded.

The Super Eagles have a chance to put Ideye’s speech to the sword when they resume their World Cup qualification campaign in September.

Eric Chelle’s side take on Rwanda and South Africa. Should they secure six points from these fixtures, they’ll be in pole position for direct qualification.