Osimhen: Ex-Real Madrid & Liverpool boss says World Cup will miss Super Eagles star

Nigeria international Victor Osimhen is one of the most important players who will not participate at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Soccernet.ng reports.

Former Liverpool and Real Madrid manager Rafa Benitez believes the World Cup will be poorer without Super Eagles striker Osimhen, describing the Nigerian as one of the major stars missing from the tournament in North America.

Osimhen's absence is a direct consequence of Nigeria's failure to qualify for the competition. The Super Eagles came close to reaching the finals but ultimately fell short during the qualification campaign.

Nigeria finished second in CAF Group C with 17 points, narrowly missing automatic qualification after ending one point behind South Africa. That result forced the three-time African champions into the playoff route.

The Super Eagles kept their hopes alive by defeating Gabon in the playoff semi-final but suffered heartbreak in the decisive playoff final, where they lost to DR Congo on penalties. The setback extended Nigeria's World Cup drought after also missing the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

As a result, Manchester United-linked Osimhen, who is widely regarded as one of Africa's leading forwards and is currently enjoying the prime years of his career, remains without a World Cup appearance. Unless Nigeria qualifies for the next edition, the Galatasaray striker will have to wait until at least 2030 for a chance to make his debut on football's biggest stage.

Speaking to La Gazzetta about the players he would have loved to see at the tournament, Benitez placed Osimhen among an elite group of absent stars.

“Too easy: Kvaratskhelia, first and foremost,” Benitez said. “And then Osimhen too, and not just because Napoli holds a special place in my heart. But I must also add Zieliński and Lewandowski, one of the greatest ever.”

No Osimhen, as Benitez backs France to win World Cup

While reflecting on Osimhen and the players missing from the tournament, Benitez also identified the teams he believes have the strongest chance of lifting the trophy.

The Spaniard pointed to France's extraordinary squad depth as a major advantage, noting that even several high-profile players were unable to make their final selection.

“France possesses an impressive array of talent; they've even had to leave some players at home, which is astonishing: Dembélé, Barcola, Doué, Thuram, Olise, and Mbappé. Then there's Spain, for similar reasons, because they have Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams, alongside a fabulous midfield with Pedri and Rodri. You can't ignore Germany, because history counts, and certainly not England with Bellingham or Saka, Gordon or Rice.”

The tournament has already produced several notable results. Co-hosts Mexico opened Group A with a 2-0 victory over South Africa at the Estadio Azteca, with Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez scoring in a match that also produced a record three red cards for a World Cup opener.

South Korea followed with a dramatic 2-1 comeback win over the Czech Republic in Guadalajara after goals from Hwang In-beom and Oh Hyeon-gyu overturned Ladislav Krejčí's opener.

In Group B, Canada earned a 1-1 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto. Jovo Lukić gave the visitors the lead before Canadian striker Cyle Larin struck in the 77th minute to secure a point for the co-hosts.