Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Technical Director Augustine Eguavoen has said the Super Eagles will begin preparations much earlier for the 2030 FIFA World Cup qualifiers as the federation looks to avoid another disappointing qualifying campaign, Footynaija.com reports.
The Super Eagles failed to secure a place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, extending a difficult period for Nigerian football after also missing the 2022 tournament.
Eguavoen believes the lessons from that setback are clear, with the team’s slow start proving costly in the race for qualification.
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“We have learnt from what happened. The poor start to the qualifiers cost us dearly, and we cannot allow that to happen again. Preparations for the next World Cup campaign will begin much earlier,” Eguavoen said.
The former Super Eagles coach explained that every point matters in a qualification series, making early planning just as important as performances on the pitch. He added that the federation intends to approach the next campaign differently to give the national team the best chance of reaching football’s biggest tournament.
As reported by Sports 247, Eguavoen also stressed that African qualification has become increasingly competitive, leaving little room for countries to recover after dropping points in the opening matches. He believes Nigeria must be ready from the first fixture if the Super Eagles are to book a place at the 2030 World Cup.
The 2030 tournament will be hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with centenary matches scheduled to take place in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay.
Eguavoen’s comments also come as the Super Eagles continue to settle under head coach Eric Chelle, with preparations for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations expected to run alongside the team’s long-term World Cup plans.
Nigeria have appeared at six FIFA World Cups, but missing two of the last three editions has increased the pressure on the federation to get the next qualification campaign right.
