NFF to Miss N15.2bn for Eagles Failure to Qualify for World Cup

Duro Ikhazuagbe 

Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) officials will rue why the Super Eagles failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup after reading the amount FIFA unveiled as  prize money for all the 48 teams to feature in the tournament scheduled to hold in USA, Canada and Mexico next summer.

According to FIFA, every of the 48 teams that will feature at the Mundial is guaranteed a minimum sum of USD 10.5million (about N15.2billion). It is the least to take home by the teams that fail to go beyond the group stage.

A breakdown of the prize money shows that every one of the 48 teams that qualified for the expanded World Cup in North America will receive USD 1.5 million in preparation funds, in addition to a minimum participation payout of USD 9 million for teams finishing between 33rd and 48th place.

The entire prize money on offer up till the final match is a record USD 655million.

Teams reaching the Round of 16 will earn USD 15 million, while those advancing to the quarter-finals will collect USD 19 million. The champions will receive USD 50 million, with runners-up pocketing USD 33 million.

Just like it happened four years ago when Super Eagles similarly failed to reach the first World Cup in the Middle East, the NFF missed all the goodies that were on offer in Qatar 2022.

For a federation that rely majorly on the handouts from FIFA, missing the 2026 World Cup will be another pain in the finances of the NFF. The funds would have gone along way to support national team programmes, grassroots development and administrative costs.