Victor Osimhen is one of the biggest absentees from the 2026 World Cup, which will have no shortage of star power across all 48 participating countries. However, the reason Osimhen will miss the tournament is the same reason Nigeria isn’t playing at the World Cup. Simply put, the Super Eagles failed to qualify.
After a 1-1 draw, Nigeria fell in a penalty shootout to DR Congo in the African playoff final. With that, DR Congo moved on to the intercontinental playoff, where it defeated Jamaica to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. As the Leopards reached soccer’s biggest tournament for the first time since 1974 (back when the country was known as Zaire), the Super Eagles waved goodbye to their World Cup aspirations.
For the second straight World Cup, Nigeria won’t be competing against the best national teams in the world. As a matter of fact, Osimhen’s drought will continue, as he has yet to make his World Cup debut.
Osimhen has never played at World Cup
Although he made his debut with Nigeria’s national team in May 2017, Osimhen didn’t make the roster for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. At the time, he was 19 years old and coming off a goalless season with Bundesliga side VFL Wolfsburg.
Victor Osimhen of Galatasaray.
In 2022, Osimhen had already established himself as one of the best players in Serie A, scoring goals with ease for Napoli. However, Nigeria failed to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar, and there went his dream.
More of the same happened this time around, as the Super Eagles will be watching the 2026 World Cup from home. Osimhen will be 31 years old by the 2030 World Cup and he may be facing his last chance to represent his country in the biggest stage.
Osimhen’s breakout in 2015 U-17 World Cup
Back in 2015, Osimhen led Nigeria’s U-17 national team to its fifth world championship in the country’s history. Osimhen scored 10 goals and recorded two assists throughout the tournament in Chile. Needless to say, he led the World Cup in scoring and was awarded the Golden Boot for his unstoppable scoring form.
Nigeria defeated Mali in the gold-medal game, with Osimhen scoring the game-winning goal. Only 16 years old at the time, he put the entire world on notice: the Super Eagles had a force to be reckoned with at striker.
Osimhen’s bad luck with Nigeria
Fast forward more than a decade, and Osimhen has proven to be one of the best forwards in the world during his prime, but he has fallen well short of expectations, especially those set by his countrymen.
Who would’ve guessed that, after Osimhen made his senior-team debut in 2017, Nigeria—which had qualified for five of the previous six World Cups—would go on to make only one of the next three, and that Osimhen wouldn’t be part of the team the one time it did qualify?
