Garba Lawal Calls For Fresh Legs In Super Eagles Following World Cup Exit

Lawal Urges New Faces For Super Eagles

Former Nigeria international Garba Lawal has spoken out following the Super Eagles’ painful exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying playoffs. The team missed out on next year’s tournament, co-hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico, after a dramatic 4-3 penalty defeat to DR Congo in Rabat, Morocco.

The tie had ended 1-1 in regulation time, but the Congolese secured the win from the spot, advancing to the Intercontinental playoffs in Mexico this March. This defeat means Nigeria has now failed to qualify for back-to-back World Cups, having also missed out on the Qatar 2022 edition.

Call For Fresh Legs

Following the elimination, there have been increasing calls for some of the current players to be replaced due to age and form. Lawal, who represented Nigeria at the 1998 France World Cup and the 2002 Korea/Japan World Cup, believes now is the ideal time to bring in fresh talent.

“Fresh legs should come into the Super Eagles because some of the current players are aging,” Lawal told Brila FM. “And if you want to bring in the fresh legs, it has to be now.”

Focus Shifts To AFCON

With the disappointment of missing out on the World Cup behind them, attention will now turn to the African Cup of Nations next month. The Super Eagles are set to face World Cup-bound Tunisia, along with Tanzania and Uganda, as they look to bounce back and rebuild confidence on the continental stage.

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