Ndidi Calls on Super Eagles Teammates to Prepare for World Cup 2026 Campaign

Wilfred Ndidi, a midfielder for the Super Eagles, has given his teammates the assignment to give the 2025 African Cup of Nations qualification ticket a boost and make sure they focus all of their energy on the remaining 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Not making it to the 2026 FIFA World Cup would be a huge blow to Nigerian football and the players, who would not have the opportunity to do so again, Ndidi said, acknowledging that the players put themselves in a risky scenario.

In a discussion with his Super Eagles teammate Kenneth Omeruo on X (previously Twitter), Ndidi made this statement while reflecting on the team’s challenging qualifying situation.

Ndidi said, “We know we’re in a tough and important situation, and we cannot let this slip because if some players get left out of this World Cup, there might not be another guaranteed opportunity to go for the next World Cup.”

The Super Eagles are presently four points behind joint leaders Rwanda, South Africa, and the Benin Republic in fifth place in Group C after three points from four games. Nigeria will next play at home against Zimbabwe in Uyo seven days later and away to Rwanda in Kigali on March 17.

Ndidi added, “We put ourselves in this situation because we didn’t do well in the previous games, but I feel like the AFCON qualifying games and qualifications have already created a new confidence in the team to actually push towards qualifying for the World Cup.”

The Leicester City midfielder, who missed out on qualifying for Qatar 2022, emphasized how urgent it is to turn things around in order to avoid missing another World Cup.

“I didn’t have the chance to go to the World Cup in Qatar; my last World Cup was in 2018.” “A number of the players who competed in 2018 are no longer even on the national team,” he suggested.

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“We must treat this seriously. Every athlete aspires to compete in the World Cup; we cannot ignore this. We are unable to accept that.

The players must give their best performances in the remaining games, according to Ndidi, who also thinks the team has the talent and mentality to go back on track.

“There is no justification moving forward. We just need to demonstrate our strengths and make as many points as we can,” he said in closing.