Former Super Eagles captain John Mikel Obi has called for the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) board to resign if the national team fails to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Nigeria’s chances of making it to the tournament remain slim after a draw with South Africa left the Eagles third in Group C, six points behind leaders Bafana Bafana with only two games left to play.
Speaking on the Obi One Podcast, Mikel blamed the team’s struggles on poor leadership at the football federation.
“If Nigeria doesn’t qualify for the World Cup, the entire NFF board has to go… it’s unacceptable,” the former Chelsea star said.
He noted that the team’s failure to reach the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and the current qualification crisis were signs of deeper issues.
“It is just horrible. Do you blame the players? No, I don’t blame the players. Yes, the players have to take responsibility for the situation but are you gonna blame the players alone? No,” he said. “Again, we talk about it so many times, and that’s why you have people disrespect the African continent and football.”
Mikel emphasized that accountability must start from the top, insisting that those running Nigerian football must answer for the team’s decline.
Nigeria currently sit on 11 points after eight matches and must win both remaining games — away to Lesotho and at home to Benin Republic — while relying on other results to stand a chance of reaching the playoffs as one of Africa’s four best runners-up.
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