Winning AFCON won’t make up for 2026 World Cup miss – Mikel

Former Super Eagles captain John Mikel Obi says Nigeria’s failure to reach the 2026 FIFA World Cup is “an absolute shame,” insisting that even winning the Africa Cup of Nations in December won’t make up for it.

The former Chelsea midfielder insisted the Nigeria Football Federation board must resign immediately for failing in their primary responsibility.

Mikel said the disappointment is too heavy to gloss over, stressing that the World Cup miss cannot be justified under any circumstance.

Speaking on his The Obi One Podcast, Mikel said: “But does it 100% make it up for it?[winning the AFCON], I don’t think so, because we want to see ourselves in the World Cup. I said it, if we do not qualify for the World Cup, the NFF, the whole board has to go. They have to go, because you can’t keep repeating the same mistake every time and thinking something is going to change. It’s just going to be the same results. If you have the same people doing the same thing and failing all the time, and you give them one more time, no.”

Mikel added that Nigerian fans have been robbed of the chance to watch their biggest star on the world’s most prestigious platform, arguing that such a moment should never be lost to administrative negligence.

“It’s a shame”, he said, “that you can’t see a striker in his prime, in his prime, absolutely on fire, it’s not going to be in the World Cup. Haaland knew about it. 28 years or 30 years, they haven’t been in the World Cup? He knows. As one of the best strikers in the world, he has to be in the World Cup. He has to be, because that’s where he belongs. Competing in the World Cup, in the biggest stage. On the biggest stage, yeah. On the biggest stage, that’s where he belongs. And it’s a shame that we can’t see our best striker in Africa be in that biggest stage, competing, showcasing his talents, scoring goals for our country, for our nation, Africa, Nigeria.”

He also warned that reforms must begin immediately ahead of the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations.

“So for me, going forward again, we talk about it. Yes, it’s a short time to make changes now before leading up to the Nations Cup, but those changes have to be made. Those changes have to be made,” he said.

Mikel reiterated his long-held position that the NFF board must step aside following the failed campaign.

“They’re going to keep failing. They had a job to do. They had a job to do. Get to the World Cup. And they messed it up. Their job is to take the country, the team to the World Cup, and they failed. They have absolutely failed.”