Former Chelsea captain John Terry believes the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be poorer without Nigeria, insisting the Super Eagles’ absence leaves a noticeable gap in a tournament that will be staged across the United States, Mexico and Canada, Footynaija reports.
The former England defender said he had hoped to see Nigeria among the nations competing at the expanded 48-team World Cup.
“Nigeria will be a big miss,” Terry said as per the Punch. “This is a World Cup for participants who haven’t had the opportunity to play in the tournament. I would have loved to see the top team, like Nigeria, be there because they’ve got some great individuals.”
NIGERIA DRAW LEVEL!!
Brilliant work by Akor Adams to restore parity for the Super Eagles against Portugal.
Terry also shared his thoughts on the frustration shown by former teammate John Obi Mikel since Nigeria failed to qualify for a second consecutive World Cup. While Mikel has repeatedly criticised the Nigeria Football Federation over decisions made during the qualifying campaign, Terry believes there is another reason behind his disappointment.
“I know (Mikel) Obi is very upset that they (Super Eagles) are not there. It means he can’t do more commentating on the World Cup. That’s why he was upset,” Terry revealed.
Mikel Obi already in the US for his World Cup punditry job with Fox Sports 🔥🇳🇬 pic.twitter.com/XP6KeVa0zH
Nigeria’s hopes of reaching the 2026 tournament ended after a difficult qualifying journey marked by dropped points, coaching instability and off-field distractions. The Super Eagles eventually fell short in the decisive playoff phase despite taking the lead through Frank Onyeka against DR Congo in Rabat, Morocco. The tie finished 1-1 after extra time before DR Congo prevailed 4-3 on penalties to secure Africa’s final ticket.
As a result, Nigeria will not feature at the global showpiece for the second consecutive edition after also missing the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
