Participating countries have begun announcing their squads for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, set to be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The Super Eagles of Nigeria failed to secure a spot despite Africa receiving an increased allocation of 10 representatives for the expanded 48-team tournament. However, several players with Nigerian heritage will still feature at the competition, having been called up by other national teams.
Nigeria's Absence and the CAS Appeal
Nigeria missed out on World Cup qualification for the second consecutive time, having also failed to reach Qatar 2022. The Super Eagles fell short in the final of the African playoff, losing 4-3 on penalties to DR Congo, which subsequently defeated Jamaica to become Africa's 10th representative. The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) filed a petition with FIFA challenging the eligibility of certain DR Congo players, including Aaron Wan-Bissaka. FIFA dismissed the case, prompting the NFF to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), although a ruling is not expected until after the tournament. In the meantime, Nigeria will participate in the 2026 Unity Cup and play high-profile friendlies against Poland and Portugal during the June international window.
Nigerian-Descent Players in World Cup Squads
Six countries that have announced their 2026 World Cup squads so far include players of Nigerian descent heading to North America. England, Norway, France, Germany, Switzerland, and South Africa all have at least one such player, with the Netherlands also expected to feature one.
In Thomas Tuchel's England squad, Arsenal's Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze, and Noni Madueke have all been selected. All three were previously on the radar of the NFF before committing their international futures to England. Eze had even attended a Nigerian youth team camp. Carney Chukwuemeka, who recently switched his allegiance to Austria, was named in Ralf Rangnick's squad alongside captain David Alaba. Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise, who turned down Nigeria during Gernot Rohr's tenure, was unsurprisingly included in France's squad. Felix Nmecha and Jamal Musiala are part of Julian Nagelsmann's Germany squad, while Manuel Akanji and Noah Okafor represent Switzerland. According to the South African Football Association (SAFA), Ime Okon is in Hugo Broos' 32-man preliminary squad for Bafana Bafana, though his inclusion in the final squad remains uncertain. The defender was previously named in the preliminary squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations but was omitted from the final traveling party. RB Leipzig's Antonio Nusa is in Norway's squad and is expected to play a key role alongside Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard.
Germany Drops Noah Atubolu
Legit.ng previously reported that Germany dropped goalkeeper Noah Atubolu, who is of Nigerian descent, from the 2026 World Cup squad. Veteran Manuel Neuer came out of international retirement and was selected by Julian Nagelsmann, displacing Atubolu, who had been hopeful of a spot.
