Eight Games Stopping Super Eagle's Advancement To World Cup 2026 The Super Eagles are in the precarious situation. They occupy fourth place in Group C of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers — below Benin Republic, Rwanda, and group leaders South Africa. Bogged down by disappointing results, the Eagles watch pitifully as the automatic qualification ticket sails farther away.
The Eagles were chided to prevail over their games against Rwanda and Zimbabwe if they were to endure in serious contention for the ticket. For a team of players often styled as the most talented in Africa, it seemed a simple task, still it was botched. The Eagles went into the latest round of games with their destiny in their hands. But when the final whistle was blown at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium on Tuesday evening, that destiny was already sailing subtle down the Orange River into the grasp of South Africa.
Victor Osimhen ran and dashed and sprinted. He confronted and battled and truced. But it was only good for a 2-0 victory against Rwanda. It was insufficient to carry Nigeria over the line against Zimbabwe after taking the lead. Tawanda Chiwenda stole into the Nigerian score area in the 90th minute. He beat William Troost-Ekong to the pass, danced past the Eagles captain, and toe-poked the ball under the arms of Stanley Nwabali. A stab that deflated the bouncing castle of jubilation at the Uyo stadium into a dirge of hisses and lamentations.
Late score. Late drama. Late capitulation. Eric Chelle, the Super Eagles head coach, is familiar with those. He was the coach of Mali when they were diminished in the quarter-final of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) by Cote d’Ivoire through late scores in 2024. Nigerians are furthermore familiar with the anguish, as it has wreaked havoc in a spoonful of crucial matches for decades.
Here are eight moments when late scores created dire consequences for the Super Eagles in large games.
USA ’94 WORLD CUP SECOND ROUND
The Super Eagles’ World Cup debut was truncated by a late score. Nigeria had rocked onto the world stage with swagger and magnitude. The team mowed down a stacked Bulgarian side in their opening game and beaten Greece in the final group game. They finished top in a group that contained Diego Maradona and Argentina.
Straight into the second round against Italy. The Italians finished with bronze medals at the World Cup and had a pony-tailed weapon in Roberto Baggio, the reigning Ballon d’Or winner. However, Nigeria were oblivious to status and pedigree, and the Eagles were ahead in the 26th minute. Emmanuel Amunike reacted quickest to a defensive lapse following a Nigerian corner and jabbed the Eagles ahead.
The Eagles held on. Austin Eguavoen even got Gianfranco Zola sent off for the vicious tackle. But Baggio equalised for the Italians in the 89th minute. He was set up nicely by Roberto Mussi, and the Ballon d’Or winner rolled the ball past Peter Rufai into the Nigerian net with a single minute of appended time enduring.
Baggio then got his second of the game in the extra-time via penalty, and the Eagles were curtailed from the competition.
TUNISIA 2004 AFCON SEMI-FINAL
The scenario of late scores hurting the Super Eagles reared its head against Tunisia in the 2004 African Cup of Nations semi-final.
The Eagles were in small modality. They had qualified for the semi-final following a comeback victory against Cameroon in the quarter-final. Tunisia, the hosts, were propelled by the buzz of the home fans that flooded the venue.
But Nigeria were not bothered and went ahead in the 65th minute. Nwankwo Kanu was heckled down in the Tunisian score area by Karim Haggui, and an in-form Jay Jay Okocha sent Ali Boumnijel the wrong way from the resulting penalty.
Nigeria thought they had seen off the hosts with that lead until the final ten minutes. The Tunisians got a penalty when Seyi Olofinjana brought down Ziad Jaziri in the Nigerian score area. In the 82nd minute, Khaled Badra dispatched the spot-kick the other way from the direction of Vincent Enyeama’s leap.
Tunisia beaten Nigeria 5-3 on penalties, progressed to the final and triumphed the trophy. The Eagles finished third in the competition.
2006 WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS
Another late score was the genesis of Nigeria’s oblivion from the 2006 World Cup for the leading time since the country debuted.
During the qualifiers, the Eagles were grouped alongside Angola, Zimbabwe, Gabon, Algeria and Rwanda. The grouping was meant to function as a qualification process for the World Cup and the 2006 AFCON with only the group leader qualifying for the former.
When the qualifiers kicked off proper in June 2004, hopes were high as the Eagles overcame Rwanda 2-0 at Abuja’s newly built Moshood Abiola Stadium. A brace from Obafemi Martins gave Nigeria a comfortable begin.
Up next was the second game against Angola in Luanda. Christian Chukwu, the Eagles head coach, named a somewhat weaker squad for the fixture in the midst of claims that top players were boycotting games.
With Rabiu Baita, Muhammed Aliyu and Ifeanyi Ekwueme leading the attack, the Eagles were starved of creativity upfront, and the defence was quaking under the intense pressure from the energetic Angolan attack.
The pressure from the home team yielded a reward in the 84th minute after Gilberto pinched a mis-hit pass off the toes of Seyi Olofinjana and sent Zé Kalanga down the right wing.
A grounder fizzled into the path of Akwa (Fabrice Alcebiades Maieco) inside the Nigerian box, and the striker kept his calm despite the hassle from Joseph Yobo before blaring the ball into the roof of the net past the stunned limbs of Vincent Enyeama.
The goal was a dagger through the hearts of Nigerians as the Angolans held on for the precious 1-0 victory. Nigeria then failed to beat Angola in the return leg at the Sani Abacha Stadium in Kano.
The late score from the foremost leg proved costly for Nigeria as Angola progressed to the 2006 World Cup in Germany based on head-to-head advantage after both teams had tied with 21 points each.
2012 AFCON QUALIFIERS
Courtesy of another late score, Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2012 AFCON. It was the leading time since 1998 that the country would miss the competition.
The Eagles were named in a group that contained Guinea, Madagascar and Ethiopia. Only the group winner would get the automatic qualification ticket.
In the final game of the qualifiers, Nigeria confronted Guinea in Abuja. The Guineans were on 13 points and atop the group, while Nigeria had 10 points in second place. The Eagles wanted a convincing victory to leapfrog their opponents and triumph the group.
Ismaël Bangoura gave the Guineans the lead in the leading half before Obinna Nsofor replied for Nigeria. Then, Ikechukwu Uche pulled Nigeria in front in the 86th minute, and the game looked done for the Eagles before Ibrahima Traore stole a crucial equaliser in the 90th minute of the match. The game terminated 2-2, and Nigeria missed the 2012 AFCON.
2017 AFCON QUALIFIERS
After prevailing over the 2013 AFCON, Nigeria missed the following editions — 2015 and 2017. The failure to qualify for the 2017 AFCON was further wreaked by a late score conceded in front of home fans.
The Eagles were grouped with Egypt, Tanzania and Chad for the qualifiers. Chad took from from the competition due to financial difficulties.
Nigeria’s third game was against Egypt at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium in Kaduna. The stadium was dangerously packed to the rafters, and the fans were initially rewarded for their passion when Oghenekaro Etebo sent Nigeria into the lead early in the second half.
But Mohammed Salah equalised for Egypt in the 90th minute and rejected Nigeria a vital victory. The Egyptians would eventually overcome Nigeria by a lone score in the second leg, terminating the country’s chance of qualifying for the 2017 AFCON.
2018 WORLD CUP FINAL GROUP GAME
Nigeria crashed out of the group stage of the 2018 World Cup in Russia due to another late score.
The Eagles competed with Argentina and Lionel Messi in the final group game. Nigeria had three points after beating Iceland courtesy of a brace from Ahmed Musa. Argentina had just one. Nigeria required only a draw to advance to the next round.
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The Argentines dashed to the lead in the 14th minute through Messi, yet Nigeria pegged them back with a penalty taken by Victor Moses. The Eagles were holding on for the precious point they wanted when Marcos Rojo delivered a heart-wrenching winner for Argentina in the 86th minute.
2019 AFCON SEMI-FINAL
Riyad Mahrez’s 95th-minute free kick halted Nigeria’s title bill in the semi-final of the 2019 AFCON in Egypt. The Super Eagles marched into the final four of the competition after beating South Africa in the quarter-final. William Troost-Ekong netted an own score against Nigeria before Odion Ighalo equalised in the 79th minute with a penalty.
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But with the most recent kick of the game, Mahrez riffled a powerful free-kick beyond Daniel Akpeyi and sent Algeria into the final, and they eventually prevailed over the cup.
2023 AFCON FINAL
One of the recent late heartbreaks occurred in Nigeria’s most important amount to in the previous couple of years: the final of the 2023 AFCON held in Cote d’Ivoire.
The Super Eagles qualified for the final after defeating Cameroon, Angola and South Africa in the knockout stage. The team had furthermore defeated Cote d’Ivoire earlier in the group stage.
The proceedings initially went according to plan and Nigeria took the lead in the 38th minute through a William Troost-Ekong header. But the Ivorians confronted back, and Franck Kessie equalised before halftime.
Sebastien Haller would eventually complete the comeback for the hosts in the 81st minute.
Category: World-News
Tag: Eight Games Stopping Auger Eagles Advancement To World Cup 2026
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Published 3/27/2025