Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, has urged the Nigeria Football Federation to work harder on rebuilding the national team. This comes after it was confirmed that Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle will stay on as the team's coach. The PUNCH reports that Dikko made this statement during a meeting in Abuja with NFF officials. They discussed the future of the national teams after Nigeria's failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Super Eagles will not be in the tournament taking place in the US, Canada, and Mexico. This comes after they lost to DR Congo in a penalty shootout during the African play-offs. This marks the second World Cup in a row that Nigeria has not been able to reach.
Chelle, who was appointed during the qualification campaign in March 2025, had a good run with the team. He recorded four wins and two draws, which took Nigeria to the play-offs before their hopes ended. Despite this setback, Dikko announced that the NFF has finalized talks with Chelle for better contract terms and new performance targets.
“We have reached new terms with the coach about his new remuneration. We are also going to take care of his assistants and there are other benchmarks that we have put on the table and I’m sure the coach will be very excited about it,” Dikko explained.
The NSC chairman emphasized the need for long-term planning. Nigeria aims for success in the next Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and hopes to return to the World Cup in 2030. “We have also discussed how we can build for the future. We have the next AFCON and the World Cup so we must start preparing now by putting our house in order to make sure all the mistakes that we have suffered will not happen again,” he added.
The Super Eagles finished third in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations held in Morocco, which offered some hope despite the World Cup disappointment. Chelle has also been given the role of coach for the U-23 team as they prepare for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics qualifiers.
Like the Super Eagles, the U-23 team, which won gold in the Atlanta 1996 Olympics, has also not qualified for the last two editions in Tokyo and Paris. Nigeria is one of Africa's top football nations, having won the AFCON title three times in 1980, 1994, and 2013.
At the World Cup, the Super Eagles have participated in six editions: 1994, 1998, 2002, 2010, 2014, and 2018. They reached the Round of 16 in 1994, 1998, and 2014.
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