Super Eagles Risk Losing N18bn If They Miss 2026 World Cup Ticket
- The NFF could face huge financial repercussions if the Super Eagles fail to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup
- Nigeria currently sit in third in Group C with 14 points, behind leaders Benin Republic, second-placed South Africa
- Only the team that finishes at the top of the group will qualify automatically for the 2026 FIFA World Cup
The Super Eagles of Nigeria face the risk of missing out on the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a setback that could have major consequences for the Nigeria Football Federation.
Nigeria are currently third in Group C with 14 points, three points behind leaders Benin Republic and two points adrift of second-place South Africa, with just one game left to play.
Source: Getty Images
Eric Chelle's men secured a vital 2-1 win against Lesotho in South Africa thanks to a debut goal from Sevilla striker Akor Adams, which turned out to be the match-winner.
The victory kept Nigeria's World Cup hopes alive, but only the group winners are guaranteed an automatic ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
This means Nigeria have to beat Benin Republic on Tuesday, October 14, and hope South Africa fail to beat Rwanda to top Group C.
Cost implications of not qualifying for WC
Failure to qualify for the World Cup could have huge implications financially for the team and the NFF. This follows a report that the NFF could miss out on about N18 billion in appearance and prize money for the 2026 World Cup.
Though FIFA has not released a breakdown of the appearance fees and prize money for the World Cup in the USA, Mexico, and Canada, the football governing body has confirmed that it will pay out $896 million in prize money for the 2026 tournament, more than double the record $440 million it distributed four years ago in Qatar.
Source: Getty Images
Based on the figures from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, qualification for the tournament comes with a guaranteed $9 million (about N13bn) for the group stage and a further $1.5 million ( N2bn) in participation bonus, coming up to N15bn.
With the total prize money now doubled, participation fees for next year’s tournament will be significantly higher, although with more countries now, but the figures should still be in the region of N18bn.
Qualification for the Super Eagles depends on the result of the final round of matches coming up on Tuesday, October 14.
How Nigeria can qualify for World Cup
A win for Nigeria against the leaders Benin Republic, will take them to 17 points, level on the same points as their opponent.
The Super Eagles will need Rwanda to hold South Africa to stand a chance of qualifying for the World Cup on head-to-head record.
Nigeria will have to beat the Benin Republic without the reigning African Footballer of the Year, Ademola Lookman, after his yellow card against Lesotho rules him out of the encounter.
Rwanda send fans message before SA clash
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Rwanda have sent a message to their fans before their game against South Africa,
The Amavubi take a trip to South Africa for their final game of the World Cup qualifying campaign, a game the Super Eagles will be hoping for favours from the away team.
Source: Legit.ng
