Football, exclusive: Wilfred Ndidi set to go all or nothing to bring Nigeria back to the FIFA World Cup

There is no-one more determined than Wilfred Ndidi to bring Nigeria back to the FIFA men’s World Cup.

The experienced Nigerian midfielder was part of the side that last competed at the prestigious global football tournament in 2018. At that point, only Cameroon had been to more World Cups than the three-time African champions.

A challenging period has since ensued: Nigeria missed out on the 2022 World Cup, the first time in 16 years they had failed to qualify, then finished as continental runners-up in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (held in 2024) to hosts Côte d'Ivoire.

With the final first-round qualifiers for the 2026 edition taking place in the October international window, it is the most important week in Nigerian football for a long time.

“I want to try as much as possible to help because we really need to qualify for the World Cup,” Ndidi told Olympics.com at the 2025 Unity Cup in London earlier this year. “I try to let some of the young lads know the World Cup is not like AFCON, it's not like the league, it's not like your club side: World Cup is World Cup.

“If you miss it once, there's no guarantee that you're going to play the next one because it's every four years. So if you have the opportunity to go to this one, try as much as possible not to miss it.”

Ndidi made his Nigeria debut on 8 October 2015 as an 18-year-old playing in the Belgian league with Genk. Now playing with his new club Beşiktaş in Türkiye, the midfield general has a clear target: to help the Super Eagles soar again.

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Nigeria were the highest-ranked side in their World Cup qualifying group when the draw was made two years ago, and they have remained the sixth top-ranked side on the continent.

Yet it has been a rocky road to 2026, with more head coaches than victories in Group C. At the start of 2025, Éric Chelle became the third man to take charge of the national team during qualifying. He remains unbeaten and won the Unity Cup, an invitational friendly tournament, earlier this year.

After just two wins from eight games -- both wins have come under Chelle -- Nigeria were handed a lifeline as, following a months-long investigation, rivals South Africa were docked three points for fielding an ineligible player.

It means that Chelle’s men are within three points of top spot (they were previously six points adrift) and must win both remaining games to keep their hopes alive.

“We have amazing players, we have a great coach now, and the key thing is for us to bring our qualities collectively to work as a team and do it because we cannot just do it individually, it's not possible,” Ndidi explained.

“The coach is trying to bring his philosophy and there's not enough time, so I think we just need to concentrate and try to get this information really quickly, because we need it going forward. As a team we really need to stick together as one cause.”

Nigeria travel to Lesotho on 10 October on the penultimate matchday, followed by a crunch clash against current group leaders Benin on 14 October at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo.

The group winner qualifies automatically, while the runners-up could reach the finals through the FIFA Play-Off Tournament. The latter is a treacherous journey: only the four best second-placed teams advance to the second qualifying round, where two semi-finals and a final decide who progresses to the intercontinental play-offs, which itself is another semi-final and final to reach the World Cup.

Wilfred Ndidi’s World Cup love affair

Having worn the captain’s armband eight times for Nigeria, Ndidi has grown into one of his country’s most valuable players when it comes to experience and leadership.

He was called up to the provisional squad for the Olympic Games Rio 2016 the following year but missed out on the final cut, shortly after signing for English Premier League champions Leicester City.

The World Cup has always held a special place in the 28-year-old’s heart – he remembers watching Nigeria at the 2010 tournament in South Africa, when he was still a promising prospect in Lagos. Ndidi went on to make his World Cup debut in Russia in 2018 and is now focused on adding to his record on the grand stage.

“It was a different ball game”, said Ndidi. “When you're in the club side, you play games every week, you get used to it. The atmosphere, seeing different cultures at the World Cup [is] so brilliant, trust me, and any player wants to play at the World Cup, so we cannot let this one slide.”

The current focus remains reaching the World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada, which is under 250 days away. Once the CAF qualification competition concludes, Africa turns attention to the Africa Cup of Nations, or AFCON, hosted by Morocco from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026.

“Knowing the fact that we missed out on the World Cup and having the opportunity to prove ourselves in the AFCON, there's just improvement and growth,” the Beşiktaş man explained. “AFCON is one of a kind, you're playing against your African brothers: the culture, the atmosphere, how loud and how crazy it can be.”

He continues, “I think it's one of the best tournaments I've ever experienced. The last one I didn't go and then when I was watching at home, I was really, really pleased and amazed. It was really amazing to watch.”

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African culture through sport is something that Ndidi has long encountered and always appreciated. AFCON holds special significance, where he has 11 appearances though missed out on Nigeria’s run to the 2023 final with an injury on the eve of the finals.

The Lagos native got a taste of the African sporting spirit over in Europe when Nigeria contested the Unity Cup in London. Ndidi and co. faced off in a fiery ‘jollof derby’ against Ghana in the semi-final, then beat Jamaica on penalties in the final.

“It actually makes you feel like you're home, back in Nigeria,” he recalled. “When we play a game in Nigeria, the atmosphere is always singing. It was really amazing for Nigerians to come out and watch the game. What I miss about home is family, food, friends, but I'm okay, I've been here for longer so I'm used to it.”

As African sport grows from strength to strength, the next chapter is an enticing one. The continent will welcome an Olympic Games for the first time, the Youth Olympic Games Dakar 2026, from 31 October to 13 November 2026.

Football will be on the programme in the form of futsal, the indoor version of the sport played on a hard indoor pitch with two teams of five. Senegal will welcome the world for the Youth Olympics – as will the entire continent.

“Oh, wow,” Ndidi exclaimed in reaction to the news, before saying, “When South Africa hosted the World Cup, I know it's going to be really, really amazing. There's so many things to do in Africa. The culture is amazing, I feel Senegal is an amazing place, and it's a great one for them, so I'm really, really looking forward to that.”

He concluded, “The last World Cup in South Africa, it was like Africa hosting it. It's not just South Africa. So I think also in Senegal, I think it would just be as if the whole of Africa is hosting.”

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