“If I were there, we’d have gone” – Amaju Pinnick boasts after Nigeria’s World Cup qualification failure

Sunday Oliseh newly appointed coach for Nigeria’s Super Eagles and NFF President Amaju Pinnick. [Photo Credit/ Imago].

Former President of the Nigerian Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick, has weighed in on the Super Eagles‘ failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Soccernet.ng reports.

The 55-year-old served as the President of the NFF between October 2014 and October 2022. In that period, Nigeria failed to qualify for the World Cup in 2022, although they qualified for the 2018 version of the Mundial under Gernot Rohr.

However, the former Delta state Sports Commission chairman has revealed the failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup wouldn’t have happened if he had run for a third term.

This is largely because up to ten African countries can participate in the Mundial set to be held on North American soil in the summer, with nine nations already confirmed.

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Soccer Nigeria would’ve qualified under me – Amaju Pinnick

While he alludes to respect to the current NFF President Ibrahim Gusau, Mr Pinnick insists that the three-time AFCON winners failing to qualify for consecutive World Cups was something he didn’t see coming.

“I didn’t see it coming because ten teams from Africa will qualify. In 2018, we had the toughest group ever; we had all the AFCON winners,” the former CAF Vice President said on Sunday Oliseh’s Global Football Insights show.

“Algeria hadn’t lost in over 20 games, Cameroon came in as defending champions, Zambia were Champions, and Nigeria was the least considered.

“But guess what? We qualified with two games to spare, and we didn’t sleep.

“We did that in 2022, but because the format was changed to head-to-head, nobody gave Ghana a chance, but lo and behold, they came. We didn’t win, but we didn’t lose; we were knocked out by the away goal rules.

“I took responsibility then, and I take responsibility now. Till today, it still haunts me that Nigeria didn’t qualify for the 2018 World Cup. I felt really bad. Nigeria should forgive us.

“For the 2026 World Cup, if I were there, definitely, Nigeria would have qualified. There’s no basis for Nigeria not to have qualified,” Amaju Pinnick concluded.

Under Gusau, the Super Falcons have won the WAFCON trophy, but the contrast is that there’s been a notable decline across all tiers of Nigerian football.

Adefolahan Guerreiro

Adefolahan is a multilingual sports journalist and football writer whose work spans outlets like Soccernet Nigeria, Pure Football UK, and Royalsportz.

With a sharp eye for detail and a background in college sports, he tells the African football story with depth, flair, and global perspective.

Fluent in English, Spanish, and German, he brings a cross-cultural voice to his coverage, blending insight with accessibility for readers around the world.
His portfolio includes interviews with top Nigerian stars like Finidi George, Junior Lokosa, Sikiru Alimi, Sodiq Ismaila, and Abraham Onahi Ogbu.

A devoted Borussia Dortmund fan, Adefolahan thrives on the emotion and rhythm of the beautiful game. Away from work, he’s a sci-fi enthusiast and series lover who enjoys exploring how sport, storytelling, and culture collide.