Even though Africa could be represented by as many as ten teams at the expanded 2026 World Cup, there are no guarantees that the Super Eagles will be one of these teams.
Many of the fans have still not got over the pain of missing out on the 2022 World Cup in Qatar more than a year after the Eagles failed to fly past perennial rivals the Black Stars of Ghana.
Familiar foes Banyana Banyana of South Africa and Benin, now under the tutelage of former Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr, are among the teams who stand between Nigeria and a place at the next World Cup to be hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico.
The Brave Warriors of Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Lesotho are the other teams Nigeria must navigate past to be at the World Cup.
On paper, it ought to be a straight shootout between Nigeria and South Africa as both countries renew a rivalry, which has seen Banyana Banyana close up a gap that first began rather badly with a 4-0 pounding in Lagos in 1992.
Next-door neighbours Benin will also be an interesting proposition because their coach was the one who qualified Nigeria to the 2018 World Cup.
Rohr spent six years in Nigeria, but his departure late in 2021 was acrimonious as he had qualified the team to the 2021 AFCON only to be sent packing.
He will most certainly have an axe to grind with Nigeria.
The road to the biggest World Cup ever begins in November, when two match days will be played between 13 and 21.
It is imperative to get the campaign off on a winning note and send a warning signal to the other teams in this section.
Besides the big teams in this tricky group that could derail the Eagles ambitions, the so-called smaller teams like Lesotho and Rwanda are potential banana skins because dropped points against them could eventually prove too costly.
And the signs around the Super Eagles have not been good – team morale has hit an all-time low as they are owed bonuses for as many as 20 games, while the NFF have chosen to dillydally as it concerns coach Jose Peseiro.
Peseiro may have recently enjoyed the blessing of the Eagles top star Victor Osimhen, but the Portuguese coach has failed to win the confidence of the public in general.
Failure by Nigeria to qualify for the World Cup back-to-back is most unthinkable, but those in authority have not shown enough drive and decisiveness that this disaster can be averted.
