Former Manchester City defender, Nedum Onuoha, has described the failure of Nigeria’s Super Eagles to secure an automatic 2026 FIFA World Cup ticket as a “huge disappointment”.
Onuoha also admitted that he planned to block calls from his Ghanaian friends had Nigeria failed to secure a place in the playoffs of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
He spoke after Nigeria defeated Benin Republic 4-0 in Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier in Uyo to secure a place in the playoffs.
Speaking on ESPN, Onuoha said, “I can confirm that I didn’t believe it at all. And if anything, I was trying to block the numbers of my Ghanaian friends and other people from West Africa because the grief we were going to receive for not qualifying for the 48-team tournament was going to be crazy.
“It was not going to say they have guaranteed qualification now, but at least the hope is there. I wish it didn’t need to be this way because a team like Nigeria, who were in the final of the African Nations not too long ago, for them to end up drawing half of their game in the qualifying campaign against sides that you expect them to beat.
“I think it is a huge disappointment. But thankfully, the story is not over yet, even if now some people will probably argue that it should be.”