Former Flying Eagles head coach Manu Garba has called on the Super Eagles to spare no effort in securing qualification for the FIFA World Cup 2030, warning that another absence from the global stage would be unacceptable for Nigerian football.

A second consecutive miss

Nigeria's failure to reach the FIFA World Cup 2026 extended a painful run of consecutive absences. The Super Eagles had also missed the 2022 tournament in Qatar — marking the second time since their debut at the 1994 edition that they failed to appear in back-to-back World Cups.

The road to 2026 unravelled through a series of costly slip-ups in the group qualifiers. Home draws against Zimbabwe and a draw away to South Africa left vital points behind, before a 1-1 draw followed by a 4-3 penalty shootout defeat to the Democratic Republic of Congo confirmed their elimination.

Early preparation and player motivation

Garba has urged the Nigeria Football Federation and the government to begin preparations for the 2030 qualifying campaign as early as possible, stressing that both organisation and player welfare will be decisive factors.