The Super Eagles and the Nigeria Football Federation are set to miss out on the biggest-ever prize pot for the FIFA men’s World Cup, Soccernet.ng reports.
Nigeria was one of the countries expected to feature in the first-ever 48-team FIFA World Cup. However, they flattered to deceive during the qualifiers, finishing second in their group behind South Africa.
Despite their disappointing performance in the qualifiers proper, the Super Eagles got lucky and snuck into the continental playoffs, where only one of four teams could qualify.
After knocking out Gabon, they ultimately lost to DR Congo via a penalty shootout in the final.
That defeat means Nigeria will miss a second consecutive FIFA World Cup, following their absence from the 2022 edition in Qatar.
Nigeria’s Big Loss: FIFA Reveal Record Prize Pot
Ahead of the tournament slated for June 2026, the FIFA Council met in Doha, Qatar, on Wednesday.
At the meeting, they confirmed that the total prize pot for the Mundial would be $655 million (₦990 billion). This represents a massive 50% increase from the prize pool of the 2022 edition.
All participating teams will first receive $1.5 million for preparation. Upon participation, they are all guaranteed a further $9 million. The rest of the prize spread is as follows:
- Champions: $50 million
- Runners-up: $33 million
- 3rd Place: $29 million
- 4th Place: $27 million
- 5th–8th Place: $19 million
- 9th–16th Place: $15 million
- 17th–32nd Place: $11 million
- 33rd–48th Place: $9 million
This basically means that had the Super Eagles qualified for the World Cup, the NFF would have received at least $10.5 million (₦15.7 billion).
As there is usually a sharing formula for prize money from these competitions, the players would also have received a percentage of the funds paid to the NFF.
A Glimmer of Hope: Can the Super Eagles Still Make the 2026 World Cup?
Earlier this week, NFF General Secretary Dr. Mohammed Sanusi confirmed that the federation has petitioned FIFA over DR Congo’s alleged use of ineligible players during the playoffs.
The core of the case involves players like Aaron Wan-Bissaka. The West Ham defender represented England in his early years before switching allegiances to DR Congo.
Although FIFA approved the switch, a potential loophole has emerged: DR Congo’s laws do not allow for dual citizenship. Consequently, any player wishing to adopt DR Congo nationality must renounce their previous citizenship.
Allegedly, Wan-Bissaka did not renounce his English citizenship. Therefore, according to the laws of that country, he was technically not a citizen of DR Congo when the match was played.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka played for DR Congo U20 before joining England’s U20 and U21 sides.
Now, he’s chosen to represent DR Congo at senior level and could debut in their upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
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However, this remains a highly complicated and controversial case. The outcome might not even benefit Nigeria in the end, as Cameroon are also involved in the dispute.
FIFA will need to make a decision soon, as the intercontinental playoffs are scheduled for March, and there are no international breaks remaining before that time.
The NFF and millions of Super Eagles fans will be hoping that things eventually pan out in their favour.