Former Super Eagles captain Augustine ‘Jay-Jay’ Okocha has revealed, in comments from The Obi One Podcast, that Brazil football legend Ronaldinho asked why Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after the Super Eagles’ elimination in the African play-offs.

Okocha said the question from his former football associate reflected the wider disappointment surrounding Nigeria’s absence from the tournament, particularly among former players who have followed the Super Eagles’ fortunes closely.

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Nigeria’s hopes of reaching the 2026 World Cup ended after Eric Chelle’s Super Eagles lost the African play-off final to the Democratic Republic of Congo, denying the country another appearance on football’s biggest stage.

Speaking about the reaction to the setback, Okocha praised former Super Eagles captain John Mikel Obi for publicly challenging the leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

“Kudos to you, John Mikel, you’re speaking up against the Nigerian Federation,” Okocha said.

The former Nigeria captain explained that his personal relationship with NFF president Ibrahim Gusau made it more difficult for him to publicly criticise the federation.

“I live in Nigeria, and the NFF president is my friend, so it’s difficult to speak up,” Okocha said.

Okocha then revealed that Nigeria’s failure has become a subject of conversation even among his internationally renowned football contemporaries.

“I get asked by my colleagues like Ronaldinho why Nigeria hasn’t qualified for the World Cup,” he added.

The revelation carries particular weight because Okocha and Ronaldinho share a longstanding football connection.

Ronaldinho played alongside Okocha at Paris Saint-Germain in the early 2000s, when the Brazilian was emerging as one of world football’s most gifted young attackers.

Okocha was widely regarded as an important influence during Ronaldinho’s early European career.

Okocha’s comments also come amid renewed debate over the administration of Nigerian football following the Super Eagles’ failure to reach the 2026 World Cup.

Mikel Obi has been among the most outspoken former internationals on the issue.

His public criticism has focused attention on the NFF and the wider structures responsible for managing the national team.

The former Chelsea midfielder had previously argued that Nigeria’s failure to qualify should have serious consequences for the federation’s leadership.

Okocha’s decision to praise Mikel therefore adds an important voice from another generation of Super Eagles leadership.

Nigeria’s absence is particularly significant because the expanded 2026 World Cup provided Africa with nine automatic qualification places, alongside an additional opportunity through an inter-confederation play-off.

Despite the increased allocation, the Super Eagles were unable to secure a place in the finals.

For Okocha, the disappointment is personal as well as national.

The former attacking midfielder represented Nigeria at the 1994, 1998 and 2002 World Cups and captained the Super Eagles during part of his international career.

His generation helped establish Nigeria as a regular presence at the World Cup.

Nigeria reached the knockout stage at the 1994 and 1998 tournaments, with Okocha playing a memorable role in the latter campaign.

He was also part of Nigeria’s historic Olympic gold medal-winning team at Atlanta 1996.

The current generation has therefore inherited a powerful legacy, but the failure to qualify for 2026 has reopened difficult questions about how that legacy is being protected.

Okocha’s admission that even Ronaldinho has asked about Nigeria’s absence offers a striking human dimension to the disappointment.

It suggests that the Super Eagles’ decline from regular World Cup participants to absent contenders has not gone unnoticed beyond Nigeria’s borders.

With the 2026 tournament already underway, attention will now shift towards rebuilding the national team and addressing the structural concerns raised by former players, supporters and football stakeholders.