The 2034 men’s football World Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia, while Spain, Portugal and Morocco will be joint hosts for the 2030 tournament, world governing body Fifa has confirmed.
Three matches in the 2030 tournament will also be held in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay to mark 100 years of the competition.
The hosts for both World Cups were confirmed at Wednesday’s Extraordinary Fifa Congress meeting following a vote.
All 211 of Fifa’s member nations were represented at the meeting over a video link.
The hosts for both tournaments, and of the 2030 centenary celebrations, were confirmed via two separate votes.
The first selected Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina as the centenary hosts.
The second confirmed the three hosts for 2030, as well as Saudi Arabia being awarded the 2034 tournament.
Nations gave their votes by ‘acclamation’ – clapping in front of their cameras via their video links.
In all three decisions just one voting option was available, and prior to the acclamation Fifa’s secretary general Mattias Grafstrom said “all 211 [member associations] have effectively cast their vote prior to the congress”.
The English Football Association showed its support for the bids – which were also backed by the Scottish and Welsh FAs – after saying it received assurances that all fans would be safe and welcome at a Saudi World Cup.
England’s FA said in a statement: “After a careful review of both proposals, we supported the two World Cup bids – from Spain/Portugal/Morocco in 2030, and Saudi Arabia in 2034. Both bids are technically strong and meet the Fifa criteria to host the men’s World Cup.
“Our focus is on ensuring that all our fans can attend and enjoy tournaments.”
Norway opted to abstain because of “concerns regarding the current Fifa World Cup bidding process”, not because Saudi Arabia were named hosts.
Switzerland’s football association also asked for its observations to be included in the congress minutes.
FIFA launched a $50 million legacy fund for social programmes on Wednesday in collaboration with 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar and the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.
In November 2022, world soccer’s governing body FIFA had promised the legacy fund from 2022 World Cup proceeds would be used to help “some of the most vulnerable people in the world”.
“FIFA is taking the concept of a legacy fund to the next level in terms of reach and impact by tackling key priorities such as refugees, occupational health, education, and football development,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement.
Revenues from previous World Cups have been put into legacy funds for the host nation to use for the development of the game and the $50 million corresponds to approximately 1% of the commercial revenue raised around the 2022 World Cup.
FIFA said it would team up with WHO to support its “Beat the Heat” initiative to safeguard the health and safety of high-risk individuals from extreme heat.
Qatar came under intense pressure over its treatment of foreign workers working in extreme conditions, leading many to raise concerns, although the Middle Eastern country has denied that workers were exploited.
Partnering with UNHCR would help refugees by “enhancing access to basic services”, FIFA added.
And yes, it was a challenging season and I’m really happy to do such deep dives, even at the end of it. And also the day
“This fund will take the World Cup legacy beyond stadiums and screens to millions displaced by war, conflict and persecution,” said Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
“It will enable life-saving assistance and long-term opportunities for uprooted people, helping them rebuild safely and in dignity.”
FIFA also said they would help to “economically empower” women entrepreneurs by supporting the Women Exporters in the Digital Economy (WEIDE) Fund, which was launched by the WTO and the International Trade Centre (ITC) earlier this year.
One of the most memorable tournaments in Nigeria’s history was the 1994 FIFA World Cup held in the United States of America (USA). On this day, June 21st 1994, the Super Eagles opened their accounts with a flourishing 3-0 win against Bulgaria and captivated football fans from around the globe with further remarkable performances and unexpected results. 30 years on, the troika of Augustine Eguavoen, Sunday Oliseh and Emmanuel Amuneke, who were undisputable fulcrum of that golden team, share memories of Nigeria’s maiden Mundial campaign with Sports Editor, MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN…
They were regarded as Nigeria’s greatest team ever, for winning the country’s second Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title at Tunisia 1994 en route qualification for a debut FIFA World Cup appearance at USA 1994.
30 years later, some of the gladiators that ensured the Super Eagles’ triumphant appearance in their maiden appearance recount the unforgettable tales that saw Nigeria being voted as the second most entertaining team behind eventual winners, the Selecao of Brazil.
Augustine Eguavoen, the current Head of the Technical Department of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), admitted that it was a great honour to have been part of that Super Eagles of yore and even more special to have played the country’s first Mundial match against Bulgaria exactly 30 years ago today (21st June 1994).
“I feel extremely honoured to have been part of that historical team (to the USA 1994 World Cup) and I’m still enjoying that feat today,” Eguavoen, who was then with Kortrijk in the Belgian league, told Nation Sports, adding that the Super Eagles were the dark horses that eventually turned the Cinderella team of USA 1994. “Yes, no one gave us a chance, looking at the pedigree of other teams and the individuals as well, as you mentioned, (Diego) Maradona, (Gabriel) Batistuta, (Emil) Kostadinov,(Hristo) Stoichkov, amongst others.
“But we were confident going to the World Cup as African champions.
“Yes, we had a lot of respect for other teams (in our group), but collectively, we were very determined that we could face any opponent; more so, we had talents in our team as well.
“We worked hard every day. We went into the Bulgaria game with sheer determination, and one thing on our minds – win. And we got it with 3-0 win though we didn’t expect such; we gladly accepted it.“
As noted by the late English manager, Sir Bobby Robson who led the Three Lions to the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, nothing is as good for a team to have a positive outlook and winning mentality ahead of the Mundial.
“You have to be positive. You have qualified for the finals and so you must go with one intention to win. Nothing else,” Sir Robson, who passed on aged 76 on 31st July 2019, noted in his preview of the USA 1994 World Cup in the July 1994 edition of World Soccer magazine. “You have to be committed, confident and be determined to do the very best you can do.”
It was as if Sir Robson had the Super Eagles in mind as debutants and Eguavoen reckoned that the ‘shock’ 3-0 bashing of Bulgaria added some bounce to their gusto afterwards.
“Our confidence doubled after beating Bulgaria, but we still treated the other teams with respect,” Cerezo, as Eguavoen was often called, continued. “We had to double our efforts to cross the line, and we did it and the Greece game was to give us six points.
“The Argentina’s game showed our lack of experience, especially with the goals we conceded. However, we gave them a run for their money.
“The amazing thing about the US 94 squad was unity, understanding, mental strength.
“Most of us had known one another for a while; either we had played together in the same team or against one another in the Nigerian league – Insurance, Berger, NNB, Leventis, Abiola Babes, Shooting stars, Rangers, Pillars, Ranchers Bees etc – as well as playing together at the Flying Eagles’ level before we all departed for Europe.”
For Sunday Oliseh, talking about the Super Eagles to the USA 1994 would always elicit a feeling of nostalgia since it was the first time an African team held the world spellbound after the heroics of Roger Milla’s Indomitable Lions at Italia 1990.
“Anytime I think about the USA 1994 World Cup, it always brings smiles, smiles,” Oliseh, who was attached to Belgian club FC Liège going to USA’ 94, told NationSports. “Even if I’m in a bad mood, just seeing pictures of our team at USA 1994 is enough to make me feel good.”
The erstwhile national team captain and coach continued: “It was a great honour (to have been part of the team that qualified Nigeria for her first World Cup at USA 1994) and it was also a great certification for every player that was in that team because it was testimony that you were not only a good player but an extraordinary player. It was the greatest crop of Nigerian players ever assembled.
Eguavoen against Roberto Baggio
“We are talking of a team assembled over 30 years ago and it’s great that people are still talking about that team as such. It’s a great honour and feeling to have been part of it.”
Oliseh who would later join the Old Lady of Italian football, Juventus, soon after the USA’94 continued: “Personally, going to USA 1994 World Cup, I didn’t feel any pressure about performance, rather what was on my mind was that it was an opportunity to rub shoulders with the best in the world. I also noticed this was a general feeling within the group because we had players with personalities.
“Every player in that team had personality; and every player in that team can win matches for you, even the defenders too. We did not fear anybody; nobody.“
Amazing team with amazing talents
This same sentiments were echoed by Emmanuel Amuneke who was crowned the 1994 African Footballer of the Year on account of his performances at the Mundial and AFCON at Tunisia 1994.
“I was privileged to have been part of that team that went to the USA 1994 World Cup with Nigeria,” noted Amuneke who was attached to Egyptian club, Zamalek, en route to USA 1994 and one of the only two players then on the continent with the other being midfielder Thompson Oliha of Ivorian side, Africa Sports. “It was indeed a great feeling to have been part of the first generation of players that qualified Nigeria to the World Cup for the first time.
“Being part of this generation of players that first played for Nigeria at the World Cup positioned many of us as players at the global level; and this actually brought a lot of recognition to the players as well as Nigeria because people were now aware that Nigeria has got talents.
“Personally, I was so happy because it is always the desire of every footballer to be at the FIFA World Cup and it was a special feeling to have been part of that great team.”
Though the Super Eagles was then populated with players from modest European clubs, they were not going to be overawed despite being drawn in what was regarded as the proverbial ‘Group D of Death’ that had Argentina with a certain Diego Maradona, as well as Bulgaria being led by the mercurial striker Hristo Stoichkov of Barcelona fame.
Amuneke joins the fray against Itn
“In our group was Argentina, Bulgaria and Greece, and they were teams with great players who have made names in the European leagues compared to many of us who were just coming but you couldn’t deny the fact that we were a team,” Amuneke, who scored the third goal in the 3-0 bashing of Bulgaria on 21st June 1994, further said.
“We had so much self confidence in ourselves and our individual qualities were there for all of us to see and we knew that on a good day, we could beat anybody if we worked collectively and that really helped, especially starting with our first game against Bulgaria.
“We knew that the first game against Bulgaria was very important in terms of our continuity in the competition, and we approached that game with all seriousness and commitment and at the end of the day we were able to come out with a 3-0 win, which gave us a lot of confidence going forward to our next game.”
Time and time again, the Super Eagles of 1994 have been regarded as Nigeria’s ‘greatest’ ever and Amuneke, who was among the exclusive quintet of Oliseh, Daniel Amokachi, Uche Okechukwu and Victor Ikpeba to have won both the AFCON and Olympic Soccer Gold medal, said the team to USA 1994 is beyond ‘reproach’.
“Of course, I agree with the notion that football is a cycle and our own generation was special,” noted Amuneke who created history for twice scoring Final Match winning goals for Nigeria at both the Tunisia 1994 AFCON (against Zambia) and Atlanta 1996 Olympics Football Tournament (against Argentina).“Our generation came with different talents and qualities; we were just blessed with a lot of talented players and we all knew how blessed we were and tried to bring out our best and togetherness really helped us because nobody cared about where you were coming from or ethnic background; we just wanted to play; fight and win.
“That really made the Super Eagles of 1994 amazing.“
Misadventure against Italy’s Azzurri
30 years after the glorious performance of the Super Eagles at USA 1994, the trio of Amuneke, Eguavoen and Oliseh still rue the possibility of what would have been after they surprisingly topped their preliminary Group D.
Nigeria next faced Italy, a team that had claimed just one win in Group E and had only qualified for the knockout phase as one of the four ‘best losers’ after finishing third in their group.
Despite the Azzurris being former world champions and blessed with the talents of Roberto Baggio and Roberto Donadoni, they fell behind in the 25th minute to a fine Amuneke strike.
After the break, Italy went a man down after Gianfranco Zola was red-carded for elbowing Austin Eguavoen. Paolo Maldini should have followed the pint-sized forward moments later after he pulled down Rashidi Yekini as the striker ran through on goal, but the referee only showed him a yellow.
“Frankly, I agree that we would have gone to the final if we’d beaten Italy,” Amuneke, the former Barcelona winger, claimed. “But with what we now know, there’s much more involved in winning matches.
“We have the ‘seen and the unseen moments’, and sometimes it’s the unseen that can lead you to victory and it was unfortunate that we were unable to manage the match against Italy in that second round match.
“We dominated the game and led almost to the end of the match but we conceded two cheap goals and it led to our elimination from USA 1994.
“Looking back, we should have done better and that experience helped us when some of us who were also in the team to the USA 1994 were part of the team to the Atlanta 1996 Olympics and it really helped us to manage things better.”
The thought of the misadventure against Italy made an earlier boisterous Oliseh to be crestfallen: “Of course, we would have gotten to the final, at least, (if Nigeria had beaten Italy in the second round) because we were way, way better than the Italians. Our individual talents were incredible and better than them.”
‘ Nkiruka’ Super Eagles!
USA 1994 might have been an epoch for the ‘Super Eagles of Africa’, the pair of Oliseh and Amuneke, who graciously spoke with our correspondent, said Nigeria can equally produce a team as great as the coach Clemens Westerhof-led side.
“It is still possible for Nigeria to produce such a great team as that of USA 1994,” said Oliseh, a member of the FIFA Technical Study Group (TSG) at the Qatar FIFA World Cup which Super Eagles agonizingly missed. “People call me an eternal optimist when it comes to Nigerian football, but this has to do with my experience in life. For us to produce a great team such as that, you need numbers and people. We are more than 200 million people and football is like a religion in our country. I believe at one point, a group will come and get it right and then it will happen. I pray this happens in my life time because I would really love to watch a game with my country dominating,” Oliseh echoed.
As per the future, Amuneke who frequently deplores the term ‘Nkiruka’- a philosophical word which is used loosely in his native Ibo land to mean ‘what is coming is better than is behind’- in discussing Nigerian football future was even more forthcoming.
“Of course, yes; Nigeria can still produce a great or if not a better team than the Super Eagles’ class of 1994,” noted Amuneke. “We are blessed with players both at home and in the Diaspora. As such, Nigeria can even produce a greater team than what the team of USA 1994 did.”
Amuneke, who led Nigeria to win her fifth and last FIFA U-17 World Cup at Chile 2025, however, canvassed for development of fresh talents.
“We as a country need to embrace the new things that are evolving with football across the world,” he stated.
“We have to keep on developing our youths so that they can have better knowledge of the game in terms of tactical point of view, as well as management of the game because talent is not enough to beat the rest of the world.
“All of this actually depends on what we want to achieve, but there must be conscious efforts to develop the players as well as the coaches; because without the right coaching from the outset, we can’t achieve much,” he noted.
Nigeria just marked the 31st anniversary of June 12 and the 25th anniversary of unbroken democracy. The symbol of June 12 who former President Buhari honoured by changing the democracy day from May 29th to june 12 in 2018 is late MKO Abiola the winner of the annulled 1993 presidential election under the Social Democratic Party ( SDP). Abiola broke all Nigeria’s electoral records.
The electoral process was pretty much transparent because of the Option A4 System adopted by the then National Electoral Commission headed by Prof. Humphrey Nwosu whose comical social mantra then was, “No wuruwuru, no Magomago” a colloquial way of saying there won’t be any form of cheating. Indeed the election was a watershed in Nigeria’s electoral history. An MKO even defeated his opponent, late Bashir Tofa of the National Republican Convention (NRC) in his home state, Kano.
An Abiola was not just a businessman or mere politician, he was different things to different demographics not just in Nigeria but in Africa. He was the Pillar of Sports in Africa, an accolade he earned because of his love and investment in sports in Nigerian and the continent. He owned the Nigerian club, Abiola Babes FC that made waves continentally at the time. He was a lover of sports and invested in FIFA competitions in Nigeria and Africa.
As Nigeria struggles to see if they can qualify for the 2026 World Cup that would be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, the fate of Nigeria’s Super Eagles seems to hang in the balance presently as the Nigerian team has played about four marches with no wins yet. They are presently making permutations about how to qualify for the Mundial. As the country celebrates the June 12 memories, it is pertinent to recall the efforts an MKO Abiola made to promote football both as a club owner an proud African. He was inducted into the African Football Hall of Fame and honoured by the Confederation of African Football with an Order of Merit in Gold Award, the highest honour by CAF. He got posthumous honours in his home state Ogun and nationally as two Stadia have been named after him in Abeokuta an Abuja Abuja.
Even though Abiola Babes football Club was the most vibrant in his lifetime possibly because it bore his name, he equally had the ITT FC possibly named after his business with the international telecom giant. There was also the Concord FC of Lagos named after his newspaper and airline. His love for football has been unequalled both in Nigeria and Africa in terms of demonstrable interest and investment with full active participation. The spread of his magnanimity and huge personal activism in promoting football not just in Nigeria but in Africa stands as his legacy. He intervened occasionally in helping some African countries with financial assistance and physical presence.
His generosity was not just in football, other sportsmen and women got his material and cash gifts after winning medals in competitions in and outside Africa. He was almost obsessed with Nigeria’s attempt to qualify for the World Cup and he was sadly not alive to witness that in 1994 when the Dutch coach, Clemence Westerhof led the Nigerian team to the World Cup in the United States where they ended up with a stellar first-timer performance after which Nigeria rose to the 5th position in FIFA ranking.
It is important to delve into the man MKO Abiola’s role in the promotion of football in Nigeria as Nigeria commemorates the June 12 anniversary while Nigeria ironically struggles to attempt to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. The RoundTable Conversation believes that now more than ever, the game of football deserves similar if not better attention and investment made by late MKO. He walked the talk and the ministry of sports and the Nigerian Football Federation must be ready to do the needful to see that the qualification for World Cup 2026 can be remedied.
Football is for Nigerians almost a religion in the real sense. It is positive opium that unites and intoxicates the people. Politics and politicians have over the years divided the people along ethnic and religious lines causing conflicts and disharmony that seem to be going from generation to generation. It is only football that truly unites the people in ways nothing else does. The one programme that comes close is National Youth Service Corps but even its unifying factor seems to be waning with time given various socio-political variables.
Football is more unifying than any other event in Nigeria, a merit-based sport and unlike in politics, only some of the best across the country make the team and every Nigerian has equal stake and the joy of the game cuts across political, social, class, religious and economic demographics. Football has become a multi-trillion dollar global business and countries that understand this are leveraging on that.
While Nigeria struggles to alter their 2026 fate, it is instructive to understand that football and all the summersaults is not an isolated case. There have been multi-sectorial negligence by successive administrations in the country and because all eyes seem to be on football, it often escapes our consciousness to understand that a lot is invested by countries that reap the benefits of the business of football.
Qualifying for a global competition like the World Cup needs a lot of work and planning to succeed. Nigeria is presently at the crossroads in Group C African qualification table that includes; Zimbabwe, South Africa, Rwanda, Benin and Lesotho. Nigeria is presently 5th on the table with a paltry three points from four matches. They have drawn three matches and lost to Benin in their last match. The situation is dire and everything possible must be done to reverse the situation if Nigeria’s flag must be flown at the 2026 World Cup venues. Nigerians have not recovered from missing out on the 2022 world Cup in Qatar where the likes of Morocco and Saudi Arabia showcased excellence and have since been reaping the benefit of their investments. Morocco’s football playing and administration have since improved and they are presently the best ranked in Africa having done really well in Qatar 2022. Saudi Arabian League is fast developing and attracting world best players like Ronaldo, Mane, Mahrez, Benzema, Neymar, Karim and many others.
The Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) and coaching crew are being urged by Nigerians to be more proactive through valid actions to see that Nigeria qualifies for the next World Cup. The Roundtable Conversation spoke to veteran Sports journalist, who was honoured by FIFA in Qatar2022 for having covered nine World Cups. He describes the World Cup as the biggest Worldwide spectacle that he started has covering since Italia 1990
Mr. Solaja believes that a lot of fundamental works need to be done in Nigerian sports generally but as a veteran World Cup attendee and a Nigerian, he wants a reorientation of the people who run sports in the country. He believes that Nigeria needs to work better on sports development like what obtained in the past. It very rewarding to develop grassroots football. He recalls that in the past, it was very intersting to go as young people to watch matches between Igbobi College and St. Gregory’s college and other school competitions. That to him was when the country invested in school sports where young ones are groomed for better and progressiveachievements.
He believes that Nigeria must get back to the era of investing in school sports so that there can be a admirable growth like in other countries. Academies are good but the Nigerian system cannot totally give the best results in the development of football. There must be serious planning for football from grooming young players to the people that are employed to manage football. Everything must work in sync for the country to achieve the desired results at the home league, continental and global competitions. He made reference to the likes of Kanu, Babayaro, Osimhen, Iheanacho, Chukwueze, Awoniyi etc. all products of the under 17 World Cup competitions who went on to achieve phenomenally on the global stage in different leagues.
The country must learn to put round pegs in round holes if Nigerian football can achieve its potentials given the human and material resources available in and out of the country. Nigerian Leagues he insists must be run professionally run and this includes but not limited to the administration of football. There must be attention to details including the officiating in league games that must be free of inefficiency and corruption that could taint the results of league matches.
He believes that Nigerian football officials at different levels must like Ceasar’s wife be above reproach so that a CAF competition like AFCON cannot be organized without Nigerian officials like what happened in Ivory Coast at the last AFCON. Managing National teams to Solaja must be by very competent and knowledgeably savvy coaches and technical crew that have the passion and attributes of great managers across the world.. The NFF must the difference between a brilliant student and a good teacher. To him, Pele was a good player but cannot be described a a good coach, Maradona was a football legend but was not a successful coach tried as he did. Nigeria must understand this.
On the contrary, some other very successful coaches across countries, clubs and leagues might not have been excellent players but ended up as successful coaches with trophies to show. He believes then that the NFF in seeking to grab a 2026 ticket must be sure to understand the dynamics of modern football coaching/management and have the determination to do right by the game and the people. Beyond the 2026 World Cup qualification struggle as it appears now, the government, the sports ministry and the NFF must rejig the plans for football development in the country in a holistic way that would cover investment in infrastructure. training, human resources and making efforts to professionally run football starting from the grassroots. No country skips any of the processes.
Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh has demanded that the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) urgently put in place the necessary framework to ensure Nigeria qualifies for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, in addition to addressing issues that have hindered high performances and growth of Nigerian football.
The meeting held yesterday at the Minister’s office in Abuja, touched on various areas including the current coach of the national team, the competence of both the NFF Technical Committee and Technical Department, discipline of players in the national team camp.
The Minister and the NFF also deliberated on the introduction of new crop of Nigerian players wherever they can be found, to ensure the best legs represent the country at every given time.
Furthermore, the meeting delved into other more substantive matters said to be holding down our football development, including the expansion of the present membership of the NFF Congress, so as to make for more inclusive and greater representation.
The team of NFF officials and its technical team were given not more than one week to present its comprehensive position indicating the positive progressive steps that have been taken to get the team ready for the next round of competitive matches.
Expressing the disappointment of Nigerians and the Government over the poor results in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Senator Enoh highlighted the country is in a critical situation being placed second from bottom, with just three points from four games out of a possible twelve; a situation he considered out rightly unacceptable.
Former Nigeria International midfielder Christian Obodo has admitted that the chances of the Super Eagles picking a ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be co-hosted by USA, Mexico and Canada is very slim.
After an underwhelming performance on Match day 3 and 4 that saw the coach Finidi George –led side securing just a point following a 1-1 home draw against South Africa before that shock 2-1 loss to Republic of Benin on Monday, three-point Super Eagles are now fourth on the log in Group C where Rwanda, South Africa and Benin are jointly in pole position with seven points.
Though the super Eagles are still in with a chance should they win their remaining six matches, the former Fiorentina player said the situation is precarious.
“It’s a tight situation for us and it would be incredible if Nigeria fail to pick the ticket to the 2026 World Cup,” the 40-year-old Obodo said on Brila fm. “It is going to be shame on us but it is a difficult situation because everybody wants to go to the World Cup.”
He said it was unthinkable that the Super Eagles would be struggling in a group hitherto considered a fair one. “I didn’t know we were going to find ourselves in such a messy situation with the kind of players we have,” he continued. “And all of them did well with their various clubs . I don’t think the players are happy over the situation and I don’t think the coach is happy too because it is a dent on his own reputation. “
The next round of qualifying matches will be played in March 2025 when the Super Eagles first play away to group leaders Rwanda before hosting bottom team Zimbabwe.
The Chances of the Super Eagles making it to the enlarged 2026 FIFA World Cup to be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and USA, now rests on a cliff hanger following coach Finidi George-led side’s 2-1 loss to neighbouring Republic of Benin yesterday at the Felix Houphouët Boigny Stadium in Abidjan.
It was the first loss for the Super Eagles in the qualifiers after an identical 1-1 draw in their opening three matches against Lesotho (home ),Zimbabwe(away) and South Africa (home).
The three-time African champions are now second from bottom of Group C with three points from four matches while Benin, led by former Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr, shot to the top of the standing on seven points.
Technically, Nigeria would possibly need to win all of her remaining six matches to automatically make the World Cup party again since Russia 2018 after the country failed to make it to Qatar 2022.
Meanwhile, coach Finidi George has seemingly berated the Super Eagles’ faint -hearted approach towards the 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign.
Yesterday, Raphael Onyedika gave the Super Eagles the lead in the 27th minute to crown a bright start for the visitors. But Benin grabbed the equaliser some 10 minutes later when Jodel Dossou took advantage of a mistake by Calvin Bassey to slot the ball past the onrushing Stanley Nwabali.
The Cheetahs later went ahead late in the first half, with Steve Mounie also pouncing on poor defending in the Nigeria box to tap the ball home.
“(The plan) Is to win but there is no special formula for that ,” George said at the post-match conference in Abidjan.“ We have to see how we can get the best out of the players, “And everybody must be committed and I think without commitment …”
The crest-fallen former Enyimba coach who was only appointed in April for departed Portuguese coach Jose Peseiro, could only mutter : “ We would win games and I believe we would win games, if we can win games, the battle would still be there ; and we can’t throw in the towel because we have only three points. We have to find a way and get these players back in way that they can perform.”
Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, has demanded a detailed technical report from the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) following the Super Eagles’ disappointing performance during the June FIFA window.
The Super Eagles managed to secure only one point from a possible six, following a 1-1 with South Africa in Uyo and losing 2-1 to Benin Republic in Abidjan in its third and fourth game respectively in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying series.
These results leave the Super Eagles with a total of just three points from a possible twelve, of the four games played thus far in their quest to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be jointly hosted by USA, Canada, and Mexico.
The Minister expressed his dissatisfaction with the outcomes, especially considering the substantial support the NFF has received from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration in addition to the kind of open and positive working relationship between the Ministry and the NFF.
“The recent results are unacceptable,” Senator Enoh stated in a release signed by his Special Assistant (Media),Diana-Mary Nsan. “Despite the immense support from President Tinubu and the high expectations of Nigerian football fans, the Super Eagles have underperformed.
“The NFF must provide a comprehensive technical report explaining the reasons behind this poor showing and give cause why there mustn’t be consequences for the disappointment caused both Government and the generality of Nigerians. “
Senator Enoh emphasized that Nigerian football fans demand and deserve answers and accountability from the NFF. “Our supporters are passionate and devoted. They deserve an explanation for why our national team has not been performing to the expected standards since after the last AFCON he added.
The Super Eagles will face The Cheetahs of Benin in a 2026 World Cup qualifying match by 5pm today.
The Eagles have drawn their three previous games to South Africa, Lesotho and Zimbabwe and will be looking to beat Benin Republic to advance their qualification campaign.
Nigeria has reached the FIFA World Cup on six occasions, the first being in 1994 where it reached the second round.
Here’s a list of times the Eagles have qualified for the World Cup:
Chadian official, Alhadi Allaou Mahamat will be in the centre when the Super Eagles host South Africa’s Bafana Bafana in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo next month.
Mahamat, 38, became an international referee 12 years ago and has officiated in the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup competitions. He was also a referee at the 34th Africa Cup of Nations held in Cote d’Ivoire earlier this year.
Mahamat will work with Sudanese official Mohammed Ibrahim Abdallah (assistant referee 1), Abelmiro Dos Reis Monte Negro from Sao Tome & Principe (assistant referee 2) and compatriot Pousri Armi Alfred (fourth official) at the encounter that will commence at 8pm Nigeria time on Friday, 7th June.
Ahmed Sayed Abou Elela from Egypt will serve as the referee assessor while Ghanaian Munkaila Nassam Adam will be the commissioner for the Day 3 clash.
CAF has also appointed Ethiopian official Bamlak Tessema Weyesa, 43, as the referee for the Day 4 encounter between the Super Eagles and the Cheetahs of Benin Republic at the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny, Abidjan. That match will kick off at 4pm CIV time (5pm Nigeria) on Monday, 10th June.
An icon of refereeing on the African continent, Bamlak Weyesa will work with compatriots Temesgin Samuel Atango (assistant referee 1), Tigle Gizaw Belachew (assistant referee 2) and Tewodros Mitiku (fourth official). Djamel Haimoudi from Algeria will be the referee assessor while David Yameogo from Burkina Faso will serve as the commissioner, and Ivorian Claude Elloh will work as security officer.
