Nigeria’s disappointing run during the latest international window has continued to draw strong reactions from fans, journalists, and former internationals. Speaking exclusively to Footy-Africa ex-Nigeria youth international Sambo Choji, who lifted the FIFA U17 World Cup in 1993, expressed belief that the chance is gone and noted that it is time for Nigerian football to return to the drawing board.
“It is very sad how everything panned out, and it is looking likely that for the second straight time, we will not be playing at the World Cup,” Choji said.
“Personally, I am always a positive-thinking person, but this time around, I really do not see us winning all our remaining games and our rivals losing all theirs. I know stranger things have happened in football, but I have given up any hope of Nigeria’s qualifications. We will watch it from home,” he added in an exclusive interview with Footy-Africa.
Choji, who played in Germany with Saarbrücken, argued that Nigeria must use this setback as an opportunity to restructure football development in the country, especially at the grassroots level.
“I think this is the time for the Nigeria Football Federation to sit down and ask serious questions about why we are where we are,” he stated.
“We need to go back to the grassroots and set up proper structures for youth competitions. I am doing the same in Jos with my academy. Focus should be on developing young talents that can feed the youth national teams. That was how Osimhen and others were found. We need to be more proactive in that direction because if we have a huge turnover of talents, the richer our national teams will be,” Choji believes.
“We really have no choice but to go back to the grassroots, work on our infrastructure, work on coaching and other important aspects. If we do not do that, we will continue walking around in circles. It is sad that the Eagles won’t make the World Cup, but we should also put our house in order,” he concluded.
It ends all square between Nigeria and South Africa. pic.twitter.com/I0POegMsQ7
— 🇳🇬 Super Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) September 9, 2025
The Super Eagles laboured to a 1-0 win over Rwanda in Uyo before being held to a 1-1 draw by South Africa in Bloemfontein.
After seven rounds of qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Nigeria sit third in Group C with 11 points, six adrift of leaders South Africa.
With just two games left, automatic qualification is looking increasingly unlikely, and many Nigerians, particularly on social media, have already written off the team’s chances of reaching the World Cup.
