Former Leeds United and Watford defender Sam Sodje has called for a major shake-up at the Nigeria Football Federation, saying the current system is not working for Nigerian football, Soccernet.ng reports.
Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is seen as a historic setback. For the first time since making their debut in 1994, the Super Eagles will miss back-to-back World Cups. This is even more painful because the 2026 tournament has been expanded to 48 teams, giving Africa 10 qualification slots.
Despite that advantage, Nigeria fell short in the African play-offs. They were beaten by DR Congo losing 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in November 2025. It was a crushing end to a campaign that had promised so much but delivered very little.
Nigeria's qualification campaign
Nigeria’s journey to the 2026 World Cup was filled with inconsistency and instability. The team worked under three different coaches during the qualifiers – Jose Peseiro, Finidi George, and Eric Chelle – and this constant change affected performances.
In the group stage, the Super Eagles finished second in Group C with 17 points, just one point behind South Africa, who secured the only automatic qualification spot. Nigeria showed flashes of quality but dropped important points along the way.
They advanced to the play-offs as one of the best runners-up and produced a strong performance to beat Gabon 4-1 in the semi-final. However, the final proved too much, as they lost to DR Congo in dramatic fashion.
The NFF later appealed to FIFA, claiming DR Congo used ineligible players, but the appeal was dismissed and the result stood.Missing out on the World Cup also has serious financial consequences. The NFF is expected to lose at least $10.5 million in funding, which is a huge part of its annual budget.
Nigeria will now turn attention to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco as a chance to recover and rebuild.
Sodje calls for structural reform
Speaking about the situation, Sodje did not hold back in his criticism of how Nigerian football is being run. He believes deep changes are needed if the country wants to compete at the highest level again.
“It’s gone now we have to start thinking about where we are as a country, the NFF has to be reformed, the old guards has to give way, we have to understand that preparation is key,” the former Super Eagles centreback told Brila.“We have to start preparing for the next one because we are so behind when it comes to organization, technically we are so behind as well.
“When I say technically I am not talking about Eric Chelle and the technical crew of the national team. I am talking about the technical committee at the NFF, they have to do better.“We have to know exactly what we want for our country, it’s not fair to the fans we deserve better.”
Looking ahead, the 2026 World Cup will be hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19. It will be the biggest edition ever, featuring 48 teams and 104 matches.
The opening match will take place at the famous Estadio Azteca, while the final will be held at MetLife Stadium.
Future tournaments are already planned, with the 2030 World Cup set to be hosted by Morocco, Portugal and Spain, while Saudi Arabia will stage the 2034 edition.
