Eniola Aluko Super Eagles World Cup failure comments as former England international says strike was not the reason Nigeria missed qualification

Former England international Eniola Aluko has stated that the Super Eagles’ pre-match strike was not the decisive factor behind Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

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Eniola Aluko addresses Super Eagles World Cup failure debate came during an appearance on ThePlayzone podcast, where she reflected on Nigeria’s controversial qualification campaign and the events that unfolded around the African playoff series.

Super Eagles had reportedly embarked on a strike two days before their crucial African playoff semi-final against Gabon, in protest over unpaid entitlements from the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, before later resolving the dispute and returning to action.

Nigeria went on to defeat Gabon after extra time, but their World Cup hopes were ultimately ended following a painful penalty shootout loss to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the final of the African playoffs.

Despite the off-field disruption, Eniola Aluko insisted that the primary reason for Nigeria’s elimination was performance on the pitch rather than the industrial action.

“We are not going to the FIFA World Cup because we lost to DR Congo. They were not good enough on the day,” she said.

She acknowledged the controversy surrounding the strike but maintained that it should not be used as an excuse for the defeat.

“I agree we should have won, but going on strike is not the reason we lost the game,” she added.

However, she noted that the timing of the dispute was far from ideal and could have affected focus within the squad during a critical stage of the competition.

Aluko also suggested that administrative issues could be avoided if football authorities ensured players were paid on time, reducing the likelihood of such disruptions ahead of major matches.

“Just pay people on time so they don’t have an excuse,” she said.

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Although born in Lagos, Eniola Aluko represented England at international level, earning over 100 caps, while her brother Sone Aluko played for the Super Eagles.