2026 World Cup ticket: NFF, Sports Minister face sack if…

President Bola Tinubu seems to be increasingly dissatisfied with the performance of the sports ministry and the Nigeria Football Federation.

This discontent is largely stemming from the uncertain prospects of the Super Eagles’ participation in the 2026 World Cup.

The Super Eagles of Nigeria are currently in fifth position in Group C, having not won a game and only securing a disappointing three points from four matches.

The presidency is concerned that the Super Eagles’ failure to participate in the 2026 World Cup could negatively impact the Renewed Hope agenda for the youth. This situation has put pressure on both the Sports Ministry and the Nigeria Football Federation to find a solution for the team’s must-win games.

Although, sports minister, John Enoh has said that the team still has a decent chance of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but will need to win the remaining six games in the group to put themselves in a position to qualify for the Mundial.

According to ThePAPERS source, President Tinubu is interested in seeing the Super Eagles participating in the 2026 World Cup having given all the necessary support to the sports ministry.

“The president is not happy with Super Eagles result, he’s not at all. Football is one of the tools to promote peace and unity in Nigeria and the president is keen in uniting the country,” the source within the presidency disclosed authoritatively.

“The best way to salvage such body language is to ensure a maximum resolution and deliver the ticket as part of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda for the youths.

“The situation now is more or less like an executive order, I felt for the minister because he’s seeing the body language of the presidency, and I think the same message must have been passed to the football authority,” he concluded.

The Nigeria team will face Rwanda when the 2026 World Cup qualifiers resume in March 2025.

They will also face the Warriors of Zimbabwe in the same month.