Why Victor Osimhen is missing the 2026 World Cup

Among the list of great players missing the 2026 World Cup are some forwards, with the name of Victor Osimhen ranking high on it, as the goalscorer will not take part in the tournament.

Like with some other absences, Osimhen’s omission is directly related to his country failing to qualify. Nigeria are not going to be featured in the competition after falling short in the road to the World Cup.

The expansion to 48 teams made it easier for most nations to make history, but that was not the case for Nigeria. They finished second behind South Africa, which sent them into the playoff route. With a semifinal and final for an inter-confederation spot, they beat Gabon before losing to DR Congo in a close penalty shootout.

Nigeria’s World Cup history

It is normal to see that African teams have far fewer World Cup appearances than others because they were not allocated as many slots. That is why Nigeria have only six participations.

What has been positive for them is that they became a regular presence from the 1990s onward, with a golden generation of players that put them on the map for many, led by Jay-Jay Okocha as their main name.

Even though they have kept producing talent for some of the best teams in the world, they have lost a step as a collective in recent years. This missed qualification also adds to their absence in Qatar, leaving them out of the World Cup for eight years.

Their best performance

In their six appearances, Nigeria advanced past the group stage three times. In all of those years, they were eliminated in the round of 16. Their best performance came in 1994, when they lost to eventual finalists Italy in extra time. In 1998, they fell 4-1 to Denmark in that round, while France beat them 2-0 in 2014.