Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike has expressed disappointment over Nigeria’s absence from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The minister spoke on Wednesday during the commissioning of the Gwagwalada-Kuje Road project in Abuja.
Former Super Eagles captain Joseph Yobo was among the dignitaries present at the event.
Wike said many Nigerians remain unhappy that the national team failed to qualify for football’s biggest tournament.
The minister noted that Nigeria’s absence is difficult to understand given the country’s football pedigree.
He also pointed to the large number of Nigerian players competing at top levels around the world.
Addressing Yobo directly, Wike urged him to pass the message to members of the Super Eagles.
“Yes, we have congratulated one of our stars, Joseph Yobo. But let me use this medium through you to tell the Super Eagles: we are not happy,” he said.
Wike said he deliberately withheld applause despite the warm reception given to the former defender.
“If nobody else will tell you that because I saw people clapping for you the moment they saw the Super Eagles,” he said.
“I said, ‘I won’t clap.’ I won’t clap because I watch the World Cup.”
The minister expressed frustration while watching nations with little football history participate in the competition.
“I see countries I have never heard of before qualifying to play in the World Cup,” Wike stated.
“And I am sitting down for hours watching countries that are completely unknown.”
According to him, Nigeria possesses enough quality players to compete successfully on the world stage.
“In this contest, we have no less than 13 top Nigerian players playing all over the world,” he said.
“But here we are; we did not qualify. Yobo, go and tell them. We are not happy.”
Nigeria failed to qualify for a second consecutive FIFA World Cup tournament..
The Super Eagles missed out after losing to DR Congo in the African playoff competition last year.
The team had initially fallen short of securing an automatic qualification ticket.
Despite a convincing 4-0 victory over Benin Republic in their final qualifying match, qualification remained elusive.
However, Nigeria received another opportunity through the African playoff route.
The Super Eagles advanced after finishing among the four best second-placed teams.
They began the playoff campaign positively with victory over Gabon.
Nigeria’s hopes were eventually dashed after a painful penalty shootout defeat to DR Congo.
The result handed the Congolese side a place in the intercontinental playoffs.
DR Congo later secured one of the available World Cup tickets.
Nigeria first appeared at the FIFA World Cup in 1994 and has since become one of Africa’s most recognised football nations.
The team’s absence from the 2026 tournament has continued to generate disappointment among football supporters.
Wike’s remarks reflect the frustrations of many Nigerians who expected the Super Eagles to be among the teams competing in North America.
With the tournament underway, attention is already turning toward rebuilding and securing qualification for future international competitions.
