Alex Iwobi Provides Major Update on Nigeria’s 2026 World Cup Qualification Chances
- Alex Iwobi has spoken about the Super Eagles’ chances of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup
- Nigeria lost to DR Congo on penalties in the final of the African play-off, ending its chances of qualifying
- The NFF has petitioned FIFA, claiming their opponents fielded ineligible players for the match
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Alex Iwobi has spoken about the Super Eagles’ chances of featuring at the 2026 FIFA World Cup this year, despite failing to qualify legitimately.
Nigeria had a poor start to the 2026 World Cup CAF qualifying campaign, picking up three points in the opening four matches under Jose Peseiro and Finidi George.
Source: Getty Images
Eric Chelle came on board in January 2025 and won 14 points from a possible 18, pushing Nigeria into the play-off spot after finishing second in Group C.
Super Eagles breezed past Gabon 4-1 in the semi-final of the African play-off, but fell short in the final against the Leopards of DR Congo, losing 4-3 on penalties.
As noted by FIFA, the Central Africans progressed to the intercontinental play-offs, where they will face the winner of the semi-final between Jamaica and New Caledonia.
However, NFF submitted a petition to FIFA to challenge the eligibility of some foreign-born Congolese players who featured during the match.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka and others were the players that the Nigeria Football Federation claimed should not have featured because a Congolese law disqualified them.
FIFA has yet to respond to the petition ahead of next month's intercontinental play-offs in the Mexican cities of Guadalajara and Monterrey.
Iwobi’s update on Nigeria’s WC chances
Iwobi appeared on a question and answer session on SuperSport and was asked if he could trade winning AFCON 2025 for a World Cup.
“I mean, we’re still waiting, we are still hopeful we can go to the World Cup,” he said about the chances of playing at the World Cup.
“I feel it’s a tough one, it’s a tough one because we need AFCON, it's a great legacy, it's a great thing to happen in your career, a memorable moment,” he continued.
“At the same time, because I've been to the World Cup already, a lot of players haven't been and want to go to the World Cup, I can't be selfish and say win the AFCON, and for my teammates not to go to the World Cup, it's a tough one, I don't know.”
Source: Getty Images
Nigeria finished third at AFCON 2025, and when asked if it was a fair outcome, Iwobi admits that he thinks the Super Eagles should have won the tournament.
“I'm biased, I'm very biased, so I'm going to say I feel like we should have won, but at the end of the day, we are still happy we came third,” he added.
NFF confident in World Cup chances
Legit.ng reported that NFF is confident that the petition against DR Congo will be successful, as the federation has strong evidence in the case at FIFA.
Nigerian players and fans face an anxious wait to know whether their team will have another chance at qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Proofreading by Omoleye Omoruyi, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
