Former Super Eagles defender Taye Taiwo has expressed disappointment over Nigeria’s underwhelming performance in the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Soccernet.ng reports.

The 2013 Africa Cup of Nations champions have drawn five matches, won three, and lost one, leaving them in a difficult spot in their group standings.

The former AC Milan left-back, who featured for Nigeria at the 2010 World Cup, criticised the team’s lack of urgency and inadequate preparation ahead of the tournament.

The former Nigeria international insists that the Super Eagles have enough quality to comfortably secure a ticket to the global showpiece.

“It’s a shame. Upon all the good players we have playing for good clubs, it’s a shame that we can’t make it to the World Cup,” Taiwo said. “We have a lot of good players; we have the quality to qualify. It’s just a minor thing that becomes a big thing for us.”

Taiwo emphasised that early preparation is key to qualification success, and he went on to cite examples from North African nations.

“If you are going for the World Cup, you need to start early. Because for the World Cup, there is no time to wait for anybody. If you see Egypt and Tunisia, they started early — they won all their games,” he added.

“They can afford to rest players now. But for us, we can’t do that — we have to keep using the same players because we desperately need the points.”

The Super Eagles currently face a must-win situation heading into their final qualifier against Benin Republic in Uyo, as failure to secure victory would end their World Cup hopes.

“It’s a shame that we can’t make it to the World Cup.”

- Taye Taiwo pic.twitter.com/r8JFKKkZ55

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