Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has expressed disappointment at the Super Eagles’ failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, urging former captain Joseph Yobo to convey public frustration to the team.
Wike spoke on Wednesday in Abuja during the inauguration of the Gwagwalada-Kuje Road project, where Yobo was a guest.
While acknowledging Yobo’s contributions to Nigerian football, the minister said many Nigerians remain unhappy that the country will miss football’s biggest tournament.
“Yes, we have congratulated one of our stars, Joseph Yobo. But let me use this medium through you to tell the Super Eagles: we are not happy,” Wike said.
He added: “If nobody else will tell you that — because I saw people clapping for you the moment they saw the Super Eagles — I said, ‘I won’t clap.’ I won’t clap because I watch the World Cup. I see countries I have never heard of before qualifying to play in the World Cup, and I am sitting down for hours watching countries that are completely unknown.”
Wike noted that Nigeria has “no fewer than 13 top players” featuring in leagues across the world, making the failure to qualify difficult for supporters to accept. “Yobo, go and tell them. We are not happy,” he said.
The Super Eagles will miss the FIFA World Cup for the second straight edition after failing to advance from the African qualifiers for the 2026 tournament.
Nigeria’s hopes ended after a penalty shootout loss to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the CAF playoffs. The three-time African champions had reached the playoffs as one of the best second-placed teams but could not secure an automatic slot despite beating Benin Republic in their final group game.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. Nigerian fans continue to follow the competition despite the Super Eagles’ absence.
