2026 World Cup qualifiers: Why Nigeria Super Eagles dey struggle?

"Di only tin wey I see hia, Nigeria need miracle to qualify" dis na wetin one Nigerian, Sunday Ifeanyi tok as im dey try come to terms wit di fact say di West African kontri fit miss di 2026 Fifa World Cup.

Just like Ifeanyi many Nigerians home and abroad, oda Africans wey like di Super Eagles still dey hope say way go dey for Nigeria to qualify.

Di Super Eagles crash all di hope of Nigeria to get chance to qualify for di World Cup wen Nigeria play 1-1 draw with South Africa.

Dis draw cement South Africa position for top of di Group C while Nigeria drop to 3rd position wit di same points wit Rwanda only goals difference separate dem.

Di Africa 2026 World Cup qualifying table also show say Benin stand beta chance to qualify wit three points behind leaders, South Africa.

Wit two round of matches wey remain to play Nigeria need to win dia last two games wit plenti goals and oda teams need to lose for di Super Eagles to stand a chance.

For dis qualifiers, Nigeria play five draws out of eight matches. Dem fit miss out from di 2026 World Cup same way dem miss di last one for Qatar.

Di kwesion pipo dey ask be say wetin dey happun to di Super Eagles of Nigeria?

Why di Super Eagles dey struggle?

E neva dey clear why di Super Eagles no dey perform well for years now. Di last time Nigeria senior team win major trophy na for 2013, wen dem bin win di African Cup of Nations.

Na di late Stephen Keshi, Nigerian coach lead dem and Nigeria league player Sunday Mba score di goal to win di trophy.

Since 2013, na recently for di 2023 Afcon wey dem play for February 2024 na im Nigeria reach di final of a major tournament afta ten years.

Ivory Coast come from behind to defeat Nigeria 2-1 and win 2023 Afcon

Even though pipo bin para, dem still happy say Nigeria finish as runners-up and at least dem collect silver medal and no be dia usual 'golden bronze'.

Afta di 2018 Fifa World Cup, Nigeria miss di 2022 Fifa World Cup for Qatar, dem bin lose to Ghana for di Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja wey make dem no qualify.

Three years later dem still dey struggle to beat teams like Lesotho, Zimbabwe, among odas - dem manage beat Rwanda 1-0 last week.

Wetin dey surprise pipo pass na di type of quality players wey dey di Nigerian team.

Most of dem dey play professional football for Europe and dem dey do well for dia clubs.

Di Nigeria squad dey parade immediate past African Footballer of The Year, Victor Osimhen wey be goal scoring machine for im former club Napoli and im current club Galatasaray.

Super Eagles also get di current African Footballer of The Year, Ademola Lookman wey bin help im team Atalanta win dia first major European title.

But wen dem reach national team to score goals and play beta football na big problem.

Football pundit Bunmi Blair tell BBC Pidgin say "Na we do oursefs, if you look am na like four coaches we [Nigeria] don use for dis qualifier, wetin we dey find? Im ask.

Di age grade coach add say all di kontris wey don qualify so far, how many coaches wey dem use?

Bunmi wey aslo dey coach one team for Nigeria third tier football league say dis tin no be today e start, e don dey happun for a long time and Nigeria no dey learn from am.

Im say di coach wey qualify Nigeria for France 1998 no be di same coach wey carry di Super Eagles go World Cup for France.

"Felip qualify Nigeria for World Cup but we go carry Bora Milutinovic go World Cup, which magic im wan di for few days?

"For 2002 World Cup Amodu Shuaibu qualify us for World Cup we sack am say im dey play boring football, we go put Adeboyega Onigbinde, na few days im take prepare dat team, we still come back house. Na sack dis coach, sack dat coach be our problem"

Di Abuja based Sports Journalist explain to BBC Pidgin say "pesin wey no get im own choice to chop anytin wey dem give am.

Wetin be di solution?

Bunmi tell BBC Pidgin say Nigeria no get football philosophy and for us to fix football for Nigeria to know wetin we want dey important.

"Wetin we dey find we get am, na to develop di coaches wey dey for Nigeria becos e dey cheaper to train dem, send dem out make dem go learn from dis top kontris make dem go learn and dem go kon join am wit wetin dem sabi locally to. if na set pieces wey Spain sabi make dem go learn from dem."

Im explain say no be to just dey do tok-tok, di NFF need to siddon, draw plan " from wetin I dey see dem neva draw any plan, dem just dey tok say we must win dis we must win dat, if you no mplan you no go win.

Eric Chelle no be magician na human being, im no get magic pass Finidi im no get magic pass Gernot Rohr wey Nigeria sack bifor".

Im say make Nigeria begin plan from now how dem go take reach di 2030 World Cup.

"Na planning be di biggest problem Nigeria get and na only NFF fit do di planning wey go involve how Nigeria go take get beta coaches and how di coaches go take get beta players" im conclude.

Nigeria bin don give some local coaches do chance to lead so Super Eagles.

Afta di late Stephen Keshi, odas like Augustine Eguavoen, Sunday Oliseh and most recently Finidi George don coach do Super Eagles.

Some former players like Joseph Yobo and oda wey no too dey popular bin also get chance as Assistant coaches.

Anoda Sports writer, Patrick Ngwaogwu say no be only coaching wahala di players and administrators get dia own share of di blame.

'Di way di players dey approach di World Cup matches show say dem no get any zeal. Na why we[Nigeria] dey for dis tight corner, wen dem don realise say water don pass garri dem kon begin dey struggle, our players no get discipline."

"Di players no help di mata, na dia career, some of dem fit no go World Cup all thru dia career, some miss 2022, now Nigeria fit miss 2026, anoda four years na 2030 by dem most of dem go don pass dia prime and new player go come, if dem no qualify na demsefs dem do, me I no care."

Oda African teams wey fit qualify for World Cup

From di table afta eight match days some Africa team get beta chance to qualify.

Dis team na:

Group A : Burkina Faso, dem dey second of di group wit 15 points behind Egypt and dem stand beta chance to finish as runners-up wey go enta di playoffs round.

Group B: Senegal dey lead di group wit 18 points and DR Congo fit finish as runners-up sake of say dem dey two point behind di leaders.

If Senegal lose any of dia remaining matches DR Congo fit qualify straight.

Group C: South Africa and Benin get beta chance wit 17 and 14 points while Nigeria go dey hope for miracle.

Group D: Cape Verde and Cameroon, wit 19 points Cape Verde don almost qualify for dia first ever Fifa World Cup if evritin go well.

Group E: Morocco don already qualify while Tanzania dey second wit 10 points.

Group F: Na two horse race for dis group, Ivory Coast and Gabon fit fight till di last day. Ivory Coast get 20mpoints whilke Gabon get 19 points.

Group G: Algeria, Uganda and Mozambique still dey drag am, Algeria get 19 points while di odat two tie for 15 points.

Group H: Too much wahala no dey hia as Tunisia don already qualify, Namibia fit finish second for playoffs.

Group I: Ghana dey lead wit 19points while Madagascar dey second wit 16 points.