FIFA Council to Address Nigeria's Football Leadership Crisis

The FIFA Council will meet on October 15, 2026, to address Nigeria's ongoing football crisis, focusing on the leadership vacuum at the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the suspended electoral process. This comes amid dissatisfaction with the management of Nigerian football, highlighted by the failure of both the Super Eagles and Super Falcons to qualify for their respective World Cups.

The Super Eagles were eliminated by the Democratic Republic of Congo in the African qualifying play-off for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, marking consecutive absences from the tournament. The Super Falcons also failed to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup after a quarter-final exit in the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and a defeat to South Africa in the play-off.

These failures have intensified criticism of the NFF's leadership and raised questions about governance, accountability, and representation in Nigerian football. FIFA and the Confederation of African Football sent a joint delegation to Nigeria in September to assess the situation and gather stakeholder opinions.