Sunday Oliseh believes Nigeria cannot afford another slow response after missing the 2026 FIFA World Cup, warning that the Super Eagles are already losing valuable time as attention gradually shifts towards the next qualifying campaign, Footynaija.com reports.
The former Nigeria captain has watched another World Cup pass without the Super Eagles after the country failed to reach the tournament for the second time in three editions. While the disappointment is still fresh, Oliseh insists the focus should already be on ensuring history does not repeat itself when the race for the 2030 finals begins.
His concern goes beyond Nigeria’s recent struggles. Italy, one of football’s traditional powerhouses and four-time world champions, failed to qualify for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments before missing out again on the 2026 finals, an unprecedented run that has become a warning to other established football nations.
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Speaking in a recent report, Oliseh said Nigeria should treat Italy’s experience as a lesson rather than assuming the Super Eagles will automatically return to the World Cup.
“It’s scary. If we are not careful we will be repeating what happened to Italy; who missed a third straight World Cup tournament.”
Oliseh also pointed to another issue he believes could affect Nigeria in the years ahead. With the next World Cup cycle four years away, he fears the Super Eagles will have very few players carrying recent tournament experience, something countries such as Cape Verde could possess after making their World Cup debut in 2026.
“Imagine now in the next qualifiers that you are grouped with Cape Verde; they just got a huge World Cup experience.
“Only Iwobi and Ndidi featured at the 2018 tournament… From that point of view we really are in danger.”
The 1994 AFCON winner also questioned the pace of planning following Nigeria’s failed qualification campaign. In his view, preparations should have started immediately after the Super Eagles’ elimination rather than months later.
“When you have 220 million people there’s an advantage; you have the numbers, all you have to do is put your house in order. We have to act, in fact we are already running late. Preparation for the next World Cup should have started three months ago.”
