Azubuike Egwuekwe Warns Nigeria Against Repeating World Cup Qualifying Mistakes

Former Nigeria defender and 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) winner, Azubuike Egwuekwe, has urged the Super Eagles to approach their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign with maximum seriousness, warning that a repeat of the mistakes that contributed to their failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup could prove costly.

Nigeria will begin their Group L campaign against Madagascar on Friday, 25 September 2026, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, before travelling to Bissau four days later to face Guinea-Bissau. Egwuekwe issued the warning on Monday evening as the Super Eagles opened camp in Ikot Ekpene ahead of the Madagascar clash.

The former defender said Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup was partly due to the team’s lack of seriousness in the early stages of the qualifiers and its underestimation of opponents.

“We didn’t go to the 2026 World Cup because we didn’t take the qualifiers seriously from the beginning and we paid dearly for it,” Egwuekwe recalled via Complete Sports.

“And again, perhaps we felt that our group opponents then were not up to scratch, so we assumed it was going to be a walk in the park for us. By the time reality began to dawn on us, the usual fire brigade approach set in and, eventually, we lost out.”

Egwuekwe urged the Super Eagles to respect every opponent in their AFCON qualifying group, including Madagascar, Guinea-Bissau and Tanzania.

“One hopes the team, this time, isn’t going to toe that path again. We must not begin to assume that Madagascar, Guinea-Bissau and Tanzania, who are in our group (L), would lie down for us to stroll over,” he said.

“Events have shown there are no minnows in the game of football these days. Take the case of Cape Verde during the 2026 World Cup qualifiers as an example.”

He added that Nigeria must approach every match as though it were decisive for qualification.

“So, to me, I think approaching each game with our best and with all seriousness, as though that was the only game standing between us and a ticket, should be the best approach,” he said.

“We cannot afford the mistakes of the past while hoping for success. Yes, in terms of talent, Nigeria has it, much more in abundance than any other country in Africa and beyond.

“So, we must match this with results on the pitch, match in, match out, starting from Friday’s game against Madagascar.”

Nigeria, three-time AFCON winners, will face Guinea-Bissau in their second Group L qualifier in Bissau on 29 September.

The 2027 AFCON will be jointly hosted by Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania from 19 June to 17 July 2027, with 24 teams expected to take part.