Playing at 2026 W’Cup our priority — Osimhen
Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen has declared that qualifying for the 2026 World Cup is a top priority for the Nigerian national team as they look to avoid missing out on consecutive editions of the global showpiece.
“Playing at the World Cup is a priority and we must make it happen this time around,” the Galatasaray forward told BBC Sport Africa.
The 2023 African Footballer of the Year expressed his desperation to help Nigeria recover from their winless start in Group C of the qualifiers, where they have drawn three of their first four games.
“It’s a dream of every footballer to play at the World Cup and with our situation in the group I am desperate, like other players, to make it to the 2026 tournament,” Osimhen said.
“We suffered a big disappointment in 2022 and we simply can’t let it happen again to us, the country and our generation,” he added, referring to Nigeria’s failure to qualify for Qatar 2022 after losing to Ghana in the play-offs.
The Super Eagles currently sit four points behind group leaders Rwanda and face a crucial double-header this month, travelling to Kigali to face the Wasps on March 21 before hosting bottom side Zimbabwe four days later at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo.
Newly appointed coach Eric Chelle, who became the first non-Nigerian African to assume the role of Super Eagles boss in January, will be under immediate pressure to deliver results in these fixtures.
“There’s a new manager now and we are desperately looking forward to the game against Rwanda to try to correct all the previous mistakes we’ve made and put ourselves in a better position to qualify,” said Osimhen, who has scored 23 goals and provided 11 assists in 39 senior outings for Nigeria.
Having spoken with Chelle, who led Mali to the quarter-finals at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, Osimhen expressed optimism about working with the Franco-Malian tactician.
“I’ve spoken to him a couple of times and clearly understand the objectives he has set for himself and for the players,” he added.
“It takes more than a coach to win football matches. Players must also be at their best, show commitment and bear in mind that we can all fly together to reach our goal.”
The 26-year-old striker believes that Nigeria’s talented generation, which includes fellow African Player of The Year winner Ademola Lookman, must make their mark on the global stage saying, “People say we have a talented generation but we can only confirm this talent when we play in a World Cup like those before us.
“I was sad, like my team-mates, to miss out on Qatar and our fans didn’t even understand how much it affected us.”
While Nigeria is also preparing for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, where they have been drawn alongside Tunisia, Uganda and Tanzania, Osimhen insists the World Cup qualifiers take precedence.
“We cannot focus too much on a tournament that will happen at the end of the year when we have big demands of the World Cup before that. We first take care of that business,” said the striker.
Only the winners of each qualifying group are guaranteed a place at the 2026 World Cup, although Nigeria could still enter continental play-offs in November should they finish second in their group.
Despite being three-time African champions and the highest-ranked side in Group C, Osimhen cautioned against complacency as they navigate the remaining fixtures spread across September and October.
“Names no longer win matches and you must be ready and switched on for the duration of the games. We will be playing for our country, our family names and the hopes of almost 300 million people. It is not the pressure that we face but the desire to not let ourselves and the country down,” he said.
