“Missing World Cup Twice Hurts” – Osimhen Reflects on Career Disappointment

Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen has disclosed how hard it has been for him and his teammates to not qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Speaking publicly on the matter for the first time on a recent social media livestream, Osimhen said the pain of missing out on the tournament for the second consecutive time was a painful experience for the national team.

Last week, the 2026 World Cup kicked off with countries from around the globe participating, marking the first time in the history of the competition that 48 teams will compete.

However, Nigeria, a traditional powerhouse of African football, is not at the tournament, despite the fact that the continent has nine automatic qualifying places and one extra place for playoffs.

Reacting to the Super Eagles’ absence, Osimhen said the situation was painful, not only for him personally but also for the rest of the players.

“It’s bad for the rest of the guys, not just for me,” Osimhen said.

“We’ve missed out back-to-back. “Sometimes life happens so you just have to keep moving.”

The striker’s remarks are in line with many Nigerian football fans who were looking forward to a return of the Super Eagles to the global stage after missing out on the 2022 edition in Qatar.

Nigeria’s hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup have ended after the Super Eagles finished second in their qualification group. They were later knocked out by DR Congo in the continental playoffs, a result that confirmed their absence from the expanded tournament.

The failure means Nigeria will miss the World Cup for the second consecutive edition, having also failed to qualify for the 2022 edition.

The country last played in the World Cup in 2018 in Russia, when the Super Eagles were eliminated in the group stage.

With Nigeria yet to feature in the tournament, many of the current national team have not yet had the chance to play on the biggest stage of football.

Osimhen is one of the top forwards on the continent who has never played for Nigeria at a senior FIFA World Cup.

Osimhen admitted the disappointment was hard to take but said the players had no choice but to move on and focus on future assignments.