England and Chelsea star John Terry has expressed disappointment over Nigeria’s exclusion from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, admitting that we will sadly miss the Super Eagles as the tournament kicks off today.
Eric Chelle the national team finished second in Group C of the CAF World Cup qualifiers, behind only South Africa, who won one of the automatic qualification spots for the tournament.
The Super Eagles they kept hope alive by defeating Gabon in the playoff semifinals. However, their aspirations were dashed when they lost to the Democratic Republic of Congo on penalties in the final play-off game.
Nigeria have been eliminated from the World Cup for the second time in a row, having previously failed to qualify for the 2022 competition in Qatar.
The Nigeria Football Federation later disputed DR Congo’s qualification, claiming the team used ineligible players during the campaign. However, the appeal was rejected, dashing any hopes for a late respite.
Speaking at a virtual roundtable organized by SuperSport, the former England captain said a country with the football heritage and potential of Nigeria deserves to be at the World Cup and will be sorely missed.
“We’re going to miss Nigeria a lot. This is a World Cup for participants who haven’t had the chance to take part in the competition. I’d love to see a top team like Nigeria there because they have excellent players. They’re an excellent nation. So they absolutely fit into that category for me.
“I believe they are a huge failure as Nigeria would have progressed further in the competition but unfortunately, one team’s loss is another team’s gain.
“I know that Mikel Obi is quite disappointed because they are not present. It means that he will not be able to continue commenting on the World Cup. That is why he was unhappy.
The 2026 World Cup officially kicks off on Thursday (today), with co-hosts Mexico and South Africa in Group A.
The historic match, which will take place at the famous Estadio Azteca, brings back memories of the opening game of the 2010 FIFA World Cup which ended 1-1.
Siphiwe Tshabalala’s superb strike gave South Africa the lead, but Rafael Márquez equalized in the 79th minute to earn Mexico a draw.
