Will Nigeria make an impact in the 2022 FIFA World Cup?

Published: September 17, 2021

Nigeria is currently ranked the fifth-best team in Africa, behind Senegal, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco.

International football in Africa is more competitive than ever, and the quality of play is better than ever before, with many African players graduating to the major European leagues.

With the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar fast approaching, many are asking if Nigeria can get to the finals and progress beyond their previous best - they have reached the round of sixteen on three occasions - and cause an upset among the usual tournament favorites.

Let’s take a look at Nigeria’s chances to reach the biggest event in football for the sixth time.

Nigeria at the World Cup

Part of the British Empire until independence in 1960, Nigeria spent 34 years in the international football wilderness, largely due to political unrest and economic uncertainty in the fledgling nation.

1994 saw the national team make their debut on the biggest stage, where in the USA they managed to get out of the group stage before being eliminated by Italy in the round of 16 - though they did manage to take the four-time champions to extra time.

Since then, Nigeria has qualified on four further occasions, reaching the round of 16 twice in 1998 and 2014.

2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers

Having made it to five previous World Cups, including the last two, Nigeria is a strong contender from the CAF qualification pool.

The competition is currently in the second round, and the Nigeria team is looking good at the top of their group with six points.

Although there are four games to play, Nigeria is the strong favorite to top the group - so much so that favorable odds on them are available at good bookies like Supa Bets on PlayCasino for anyone who would like to place a bet.

Once the second round is completed, the contest moves into the final knockout stage. The ten teams that advance from the second round will play home-and-away over two legs. The five winners will qualify for the World Cup.

What are Nigeria’s chances?

Though Nigeria is tipped to make it to the finals in Qatar, not everyone is convinced that they have the quality to make a big impact. Among the naysayers, surprisingly, is their coach Gernot Rohr, who bemoans the lack of elite-level quality among his squad.

Despite players like Paul Onuachu - who won Belgium's Player of the Year and Golden Boot this year - Rohr says his players are making an impact, just not at top clubs.

Things aren’t too rosy when your coach doesn’t fancy your chances of making it out of the group stage. "When we have players in the biggest teams, then we can say we have a chance to get to the semifinal of the World Cup," said Rohr.

However, African teams have enjoyed success on the biggest stage, most notably Cameroon’s run to the quarterfinals in 1990 and Ghana just inches away from a semifinal in a heartbreaking tie with Uruguay in 2010 - there is always a chance.

Nigeria looks like one of the favorites to make it to Qatar, and although many don’t fancy their chances at the tournament, the World Cup is always full of surprises.