Nigeria Football Federation Technical Director Augustine Eguavoen says the Super Eagles will begin preparations for the 2030 FIFA World Cup qualifiers much earlier to avoid repeating the mistakes that saw the team miss out on the 2026 tournament.
The Super Eagles failed to qualify for the 2026 finals to be hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada after losing to DR Congo on penalties in the African playoff final.
It marks the second consecutive World Cup Nigeria has missed following the failure to reach Qatar 2022 after defeat to Ghana.
Reflecting on the campaign, Eguavoen admitted that a slow start proved costly and left the team chasing results. "We have learnt from what happened. The poor start to the qualifiers cost us dearly, and we cannot allow that to happen again. Preparations for the next World Cup campaign will begin much earlier," he said.
Eguavoen stressed that every point matters in modern African football, where qualification campaigns are often decided by fine margins and early dropped points can be decisive. He said the federation has learned its lesson and will take a different approach for the 2030 cycle, with proper planning from the outset.
"Things will be done differently this time. We have to prepare properly from the beginning because every point matters in World Cup qualification," he added.