President Bola Tinubu on Monday commended the Super Eagles for “their efforts” after missing out on ticket for the 2026 World Cup.

On Sunday, the Super Eagles lost to DR Congo 4-3 on penalties in the final match of the African playoffs for the World Cup. The game had ended 1-1 after extra time.

“Notwithstanding the unfortunate loss, we must commend the players for their efforts and continue to support them,” Tinubu said in a statement.

The president then called on “football administrators, players, and indeed all stakeholders” to return to the “drawing board” and “plug all the loopholes”.

“Now is the time to focus all efforts on the Cup of Nations. Our Super Eagles must recover the lost glory.”

The Super Eagles also missed out on the 2022 World Cup. It is the first time Nigeria have failed to qualify for two consecutive World Cups since the country’s debut in 1994.

The 2025 AFCON will be held in Morocco from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026.

The Super Eagles are drawn in Group C against Tunisia, Tanzania and Uganda.

Norway qualified for their first World Cup since 1998 after Erling Haaland struck again in a 4-1 thumping of Italy on Sunday which sealed a spot in next summer’s finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Haaland scored the decisive brace in the space of seconds at a soaking San Siro for Norway, who completed Group I with a perfect 24 points from their eight qualifying matches.

Norway would have had to lose by nine goals or more to be overtaken by Italy for the group’s only automatic place for next summer’s finals in North America.

Haaland’s father Alf-Inge was still an international player when Norway last competed in the World Cup 27 years ago, a tournament won by Zinedine Zidane-inspired France.

And the Manchester City striker will be one of the players to watch in North America after smashing in 16 goals during qualifying.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has revealed the final three nominees in all Men’s Categories for the highly anticipated CAF Awards 2025.

The ceremony is set to take place in Rabat, Morocco, on 19 November 2025 at 19:00 local time (18:00 GMT), celebrating the standout performances that have defined African football over the past year.

Leading the race for Men’s Player of the Year are three of the continent’s biggest stars — Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool), Achraf Hakimi (Morocco/Paris Saint-Germain), and Victor Osimhen (Nigeria/Galatasaray).

CAF also unveiled nominees in six additional categories: Goalkeeper of the Year, Interclub Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Young Player of the Year, National Team of the Year, and Club of the Year.

The selections cover achievements recorded between 6 January and 15 October 2025