Players and technical staff Nigeria’s national team, the Super Eagles, have boycotted training days ahead of qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. The protests relate to unpaid allowances and match bonuses. Members of the team are requesting a special bonus be paid for the upcoming African play-offs.
The Super Eagles were set to play Gabon in Morocco. The team, including former Napoli star Victor Osihmen, are demanding a resolution over their dispute with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). The boycott is raising doubts over their preparations ahead of the semi-final in Rabat.
“Once resolution is found we will be the first to confirm,” Super Eagles captain, centre-back William Troost-Ekong said in a post on X. “All we want and continue to do is focus on the big games ahead.”
The grievances also reportedly include allowances for the 2025 African Cup of Nations qualifiers and the current 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign. The NFF, according to the BBC, has “history of delaying payments,” with the latest dispute sparking a “widespread reactions from Nigerians.”
Nigeria needs to beat Gabon to have any hope of qualifying for the next World Cup, set to be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the USA. The winner will play the winner of the other semi-final, Cameroon or DR Congo in Sunday’s African play-off final which will determine which nation proceeds to an intercontinental qualifier scheduled for March 2026.
Image: Кирилл Венедиктов
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