World Cup
Just imagine, Super Eagles are on seven match no-win streak in World Cup qualifiers
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
The current dismal run of the Super Eagles may just be a tip of the dismal depth the squad has sunk into.
What is generally known is the fact that the team has not won any of its four matches in the qualifying series for the 2026 World Cup in which Africa will have an unprecedented large attendance of at least 10 teams.
But Sports Village Square reports that the negative record is worse than what most observers are seeing.
Looking backward into the last edition, Nigeria did not win any of the last three matches. The last time the Super Eagles won a World Cup qualifying match was on 13 November 2021 when they defeated Liberia 2-0 at the Ibn Batouta Stadium in Tangier, Morocco in their penultimate match of the Group C of Qatar 2022 qualifiers.
In their next match, they were forced to a 1-1 draw by Cape Verde in Lagos, even after taking a first minute lead at the match.
That was followed by a goalless draw with Ghana at the Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi and another 1-1 draw in Abuja in the qualifying play-off.
So already, they were already on three match of no win before the qualifiers of 2026 edition began.
Without any win so far in the current edition, their lack of victory is therefore in seven straight matches.
What a reversal of fortune for a team that had an undefeated streak of 35 straight World Cup qualifying duels.
When they forfeited a 1-1 away draw to Algeria for fielding an ineligible player on 10 November 2017, it was the first time they lost a World Cup qualifying match since the 1-0 loss to Angola on 20 June 2004.
Going into their last match in the 2018 qualifiers, they were the African team with the longest unbeaten streak.
Their feat at the time had a global flavour. It represented a joint-second-longest unbeaten streak in World Cup qualification, level with Germany and behind Spain’s 63-game record.
Now they are having a reversed fortunes. Will the current NFF be the first to lead the national team to back-to-back missing out in the World Cup?
A 64-team World Cup in 2030 should not be considered, CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani has said, joining some other confederations in opposing a plan presented by CONMEBOL.
CONMEBOL President Alejandro Dominguez last week officially proposed staging the 2030 World Cup with 64 teams, up from the 48 set to take part in next year’s edition, with the tournament to be hosted largely by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco.
The opening matches will take place in Uruguay, where the first World Cup was hosted in 1930, along with Argentina and Paraguay.
“I don’t believe expanding the men’s World Cup to 64 teams is the right move for the tournament itself and the broader football ecosystem, from national teams to club competitions, leagues, and players,” Montagliani told ESPN, opens new tab.
CONCACAF did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The CONMEBOL plan would have a long way to go for approval, with the 48-team 2026 edition already expanded from the 2022 tournament, when 32 countries took part.
The 2026 tournament is set to be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.
“We haven’t even kicked off the new 48-team World Cup yet, so personally, I don’t think that expanding to 64 teams should even be on the table,” said Montagliani.
His comments echoed complaints by UEFA boss Aleksander Ceferin, who this month voiced opposition to the idea, and Asian Football Confederation President Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, who told AFP, opens new tab he fears expansion would lead to chaos.
-Reuters
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Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa has strongly opposed South American football body CONMEBOL’s proposal to expand the 2030 FIFA World Cup to 64 teams, warning such a move would lead to “chaos” in the tournament structure.
Speaking on the sidelines of the 35th AFC Congress in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, Sheikh Salman rejected the expansion plan put forward by CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez earlier this week.
“Personally, I don’t agree,” the Bahraini leader told AFP, insisting the 2030 edition had already settled on 48 teams “so the matter is settled.”
The AFC president warned that continually increasing the tournament size would create significant problems for the competition’s structure and organization.
“If the issue remains open to change, then the door will not only be open to expanding the tournament to 64 teams, but someone might come along and demand raising the number to 132 teams,” said Sheikh Salman. “Where would we end up then? It would become chaos.”
The 2030 World Cup, set to commemorate the centenary of the tournament, is already planned as an unprecedented multi-continental event.
While Spain, Portugal and Morocco will host the majority of matches, three opening games will be staged in South America – in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay – recognizing Uruguay as the host of the inaugural 1930 World Cup.
The tournament will feature 48 teams, expanding from the 32-team format used in Qatar 2022. This expansion was already approved for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
CONMEBOL’s Dominguez formally proposed the further expansion to 64 teams during the South American body’s 80th Congress on Thursday, suggesting it as a one-time increase to celebrate the centennial.
“We are proposing, for the only time, to hold this centennial with 64 teams on three continents, simultaneously, so that all countries have the opportunity to experience a World Cup and so that no one on this planet is left out of this celebration,” Dominguez said.
The South American proposal would likely guarantee all 10 CONMEBOL member nations a place in the tournament. Venezuela is currently the only South American country that has never qualified for a World Cup.
If approved, the expansion would effectively double the tournament size to 128 matches, compared to the 64-game format used from 1998 through 2022.
While Sheikh Salman rejected changes for 2030, he did not dismiss potential format adjustments for future tournaments beyond the 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia.
“If we want to discuss subsequent tournaments… that’s a different matter,” he said.
The proposal has received a mixed response from football’s governing bodies. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin previously dismissed it as a “bad idea,” while FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom said the world governing body would “analyse” the suggestion.
“There are many things that need to be studied, and we will take our time, consult everyone,” Grafstrom said.
Critics argue that expanding to 64 teams would dilute the quality of play and devalue continental qualifying competitions, while supporters suggest it would give more nations the opportunity to participate in football’s premier event.
The idea was initially raised at a FIFA Council meeting in March by Uruguay Football Federation chief Ignacio Alonso, before being formally proposed by CONMEBOL’s Dominguez this week.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who participated in Thursday’s CONMEBOL Congress via videoconference, has previously supported tournament expansions during his presidency, which began in 2016, seeking increased revenue for FIFA’s 211 member federations and more opportunities for national teams to qualify.
The final decision on the tournament structure remains with FIFA, which must balance the celebration of the World Cup’s centenary with maintaining the tournament’s competitive integrity and logistical feasibility.
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South American Football Confederation, CONMEBOL has officially proposed hosting the 2030 World Cup with 64 teams, allowing more countries the opportunity to join in the celebrations for the tournament’s centennial, the South American soccer governing body said on Thursday.
The 2030 World Cup will be hosted by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, with its opening matches taking place in Uruguay, where the first World Cup was held in 1930, as well as in Argentina and Paraguay.
“We are convinced that the centennial celebration will be unique because 100 years are only celebrated once. And that’s why we are proposing, for the first time, to hold this anniversary with 64 teams, on three continents simultaneously,” CONMEBOL President Alejandro Dominguez said.
The World Cup has already been expanded from 32 to 48 teams for next year’s edition in the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
Soccer governing body FIFA said earlier it would review a proposal to expand the 2030 World Cup to 64 team.
- Reuters
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