Odion Ighalo has broken his silence on Nigeria’s World Cup exit, calling the failure to qualify for 2026 a bitter pill to swallow.

Speaking with Brila.net, Ighalo cited poor preparation as the main reason behind the Team’s failure.

Odion Ighalo, a member of Nigeria’s 2018 squad, claims the Super Eagles were victims of sabotage, making their exit from the tournament unavoidable.

“World Cup is the biggest tournament in the world. It’s world football, not club football,” said the former Forward.

“We need to do our assignments early and prepare well. If we do our homework and win our games, we won’t need someone to help us.

“The young ones want to play. When you see the teams at the World Cup, you will cry for Nigeria.

“We are one of the best teams in Africa, and if you see some of the teams that are going from South America, you just know they’ll just go make up the numbers.”

With 2026 World Cup dreams now hanging by the thinnest of threads, Odion Ighalo has urged the NFF to commence preparations for the next edition in earnest.

Saudi Arabia is set to welcome the global stage as the World Cup returns to the Arabian Peninsula in four years.

“Let’s give the boys their welfare for the 2030 World Cup. We are meant to start preparing now but I hope we don’t miss that,” Ighalo concluded.

Ighalo was a key figure in Nigeria’s 2018 World Cup journey, featuring seven times during their successful qualification run.