Amaju Pinnick Says New World Cup Format Hurt Super Eagles’ 2026 Chances

Former President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick, says Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup cannot be separated from the revised qualification format, arguing that the Super Eagles would have made it through if the 2018 system was still in use.

Amaju Pinnick spoke at the Big Sport Dialogue in Ikoyi on Monday, where he was challenged by the National President of the Authentic Nigeria Football and Allied Sports Supporters Club, Abayomi Ogunjimi.

The exchange became one of the most heated moments of the event.

Ogunjimi questioned how Pinnick had used his influence at CAF and FIFA to advance Nigeria’s interests. He pointed out that the national team missed the 2022 World Cup during Pinnick’s second tenure and is now set to miss the 2026 edition as well.

Pinnick pushed back, saying the outcome of the qualifiers should not be used to judge his leadership.

“You said we did not qualify under me. We did not lose, and we did not win,” he said.

He argued that the 2018 qualification structure gave stronger teams a fairer chance and reminded the audience of the difficulty of Nigeria’s group that year.

“If they had followed the same format they followed in 2018, where we were in the most difficult group in the history of football, with Zambia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Algeria, we had two games to spare and qualified for the World Cup,” he said.

Pinnick also pointed to some memorable results during his time as NFF president, including wins over Argentina and Poland. He recalled how England had a tough time against the Super Eagles in a friendly. He added that he personally pushed for the creative freedom behind the current Super Eagles jersey when negotiating with Nike.

“During our period, we beat Argentina. We beat Poland in Poland. We played in England, and England struggled against us,” he said.

“This jersey you are seeing today, I sat with Nike, and I told them to freestyle.”

He said his administration secured unprecedented representation for Nigerians on CAF and FIFA committees, even if many of those efforts were not widely known.

“What I can tell you is that during my period as a member of the CAF Council, I had a minimum of twenty-five Nigerians in various committees. That was unprecedented,” he said.

Amaju Pinnick added that some of the work done behind the scenes was not meant for public consumption, but those who followed events closely understood the role he played.

“There are some things that are better left unsaid. Those who know, know,” he noted.

“Today, we have Nigerians in the FIFA ethics committee and in top positions. We have Aisha Falode in the FIFA media committee.

“A lot of Nigerians did not get there by chance. People were there before me, but I don’t criticise.”

He explained that public scrutiny was not a problem for him, noting that tough questions were important for Nigeria’s progress. “I will not begrudge anybody, because if we do not ask the most difficult questions, we will not move from one point to the other,” he said.

Although Nigeria will not be part of the 2026 World Cup, Pinnick said he remained committed to supporting the country. He said his role as vice president of the committee for the 2026 tournament placed him in a position that was “not just critical for Africa but critical to the world”.