“I didn’t see it coming because ten teams from Africa will qualify,” Pinnick said. “For Nigeria not to qualify, there’s no basis.”
The 55-year-old served as NFF president from October 2014 to October 2022 and also held a vice-presidential role at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) during that period.
References to past campaigns
Pinnick pointed to Nigeria’s qualification for the 2018 World Cup as evidence of effective leadership, despite being drawn in a difficult group that included Algeria, Cameroon and Zambia.
“In 2018, we had the toughest group ever,” he said. “Algeria hadn’t lost in over 20 games, Cameroon were defending champions, Zambia were champions, and Nigeria was the least considered. But we qualified with two games to spare.”
He also reflected on Nigeria’s failure to reach the 2022 World Cup, where the Super Eagles were eliminated by Ghana on away goals after a two-legged playoff.
“We didn’t win, but we didn’t lose; we were knocked out by the away goal rules,” Pinnick said. “I took responsibility then, and I take responsibility now.”
Claim on 2026 qualification
Despite acknowledging past shortcomings, Pinnick insisted that the current failure would not have occurred under his leadership.
“For the 2026 World Cup, if I were there, definitely Nigeria would have qualified,” he said. “Nigeria should forgive us for the past, but this one shouldn’t have happened.”
Mixed fortunes under current leadership
Since Ibrahim Gusau assumed office as NFF president, Nigeria’s women’s national team, the Super Falcons, have won the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
However, Nigeria’s men’s team has struggled, with missed World Cup qualification adding to concerns over performances across different levels of the national teams.
