By Douglas Baye-Osagie

There is a sense of déjà vu as Nigeria embarks on the final set of four games to book a ticket to the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. This upcoming World Cup marks a historic milestone, with Africa set to be represented by ten teams for the first time.

However, your generation gives us cause for concern, especially considering the failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Some of us who sat through the game on Tuesday 29 March, 2022 against Ghana at the Abuja National stadium couldn’t watch a football game for about a year. 

A Generation at a crossroads 

If the unimaginable happens again, history may overlook your existence, and the passage of time will fade your legacy. Every decade typically features two or three World Cups, and the 2020s will have only two – the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which you missed, and the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. Your class of Eagles risks becoming the first since Nigeria began its World Cup journey in 1994 to pass through a decade without a single appearance at one of the biggest sports event in a lifetime. 

A Legacy of Greatness 

The national team jersey has been worn by an avalanche of great names whose efforts are still revered to this day. We narrowly missed out on the World Cup in Argentina in 1978 due to a careless result at home against Tunisia – we only needed a win at home, but the infamous own goal by Godwin Odiye cost us a chance at a dream. That team later formed the great green eagles team of 1980 that won our first AFCON on home soil, captained by Christian Chukwu, and became continental and national heroes. Their legendary status didn’t go past the National shores because of their failures to play in any global competition. 

The Class of the 1990s 

The class of the 1990s remains the most recognized and respected, having given us a decade to remember. From winning silver at the AFCON in 1990, bronze in 1992, and gold in 1994, to qualifying for our first World Cup in USA ’94 and again in France ‘98—where we reached the second round in both editions—they set a standard. A sizable number of those players also won Nigeria and Africa’s first Olympic football gold medal in 1996. Deservedly, they are the faces of Nigerian football locally and internationally, with six of them having coached the Super Eagles or worked as assistant coaches at different times – Stephen Keshi, Austin Eguavoen, Samson Siasia, Daniel Amokachi, Sunday Oliseh, and Emmanuel Amuneke. 

A Chance to Redeem Yourselves 

After that glorious era of repeated soccer success, qualifying for the World Cup became almost an entitlement—a birthright. We’ve missed the World Cup twice since then, in 2006 in Germany and 2022 in Qatar, largely due to negligence in our preparations, assuming qualification was guaranteed. Now, we find ourselves in a precarious situation. The four remaining games offer a final opportunity to redeem yourselves. 

A Call to Action 

Like ex-captain and legend Sunday Oliseh said, missing the World Cup takes our football eight years backward. Most fans have nearly given up, but you still have a chance to deliver a valiant performance. A win in Uyo against Rwanda is nonnegotiable. Our chance of qualification will remain alive if we win our games and FIFA applies the rules to punish South Africa and deduct points for fielding an ineligible player in the previous game against Lesotho. The FIFA disciplinary code states that if a team fields a player who is not eligible to participate, the match is automatically forfeited, with a default result of a 3- 0 loss. While you take action on the pitch, the football federation, media house and the federal government must apply pressure on FIFA to apply their rules. 

A Message of Support 

It would be unfair to say Nigeria has not treated you well. You were the first of our national teams to be honored with a national award after finishing as runners-up in a continental competition. President Tinubu has set a new standard by rewarding our female soccer and basketball teams with a largesse of $100,000 and national awards. The ball is now in your court to write your own stories and cement your legacies. When you consider great players like Obafemi Martins, Ifeanyi Udeze, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Odion Ighalo, Isaac Okoronkwo, Osazee Odemwingie, and Julius Aghahowa, who had a decent career for the Super Eagles and gave their all for the nation, you should be thankful for all the support your class has gotten. Except for Troost Ekong, none of you have even played in an Olympics , and the decade is almost half spent but you have been decorated with a national honour. We are not begging for fancy football at this point; all we care about now is the result. 

Conclusion 

As you play this last set of games, ask yourselves if the annals of time will overlook your existence as a Super Eagles player. The recent maltreatment of some of your players in the transfer window despite the efforts you put in to give these European clubs is a clear indication that true love comes from home. After a career of chasing club trophies and making a living abroad, your true worth would be remembered by the joy you gave the fans back home and the laurels you won for Nigeria. Best of luck as we go all out to redeem our pride on the journey to America in 2026.