The Super Eagles of Nigeria The Super Eagles of Nigeria
The 2026 FIFA World Cup which kicked off June 11 is already on the home stretch. New stars have emerged while some established stars have justified their ratings. Yet, some dreams have been dashed. In all, the 2026 World Cup has brought about new narratives, created new heroes and uncovered several hidden facts about modern football. Above all fans across the globe have had so much to preserve as cherished moments of the quadrennial showpiece.
For football fans in Nigeria it has been sour grapes, considering that the national team, the Super Eagles are absent. Notwithstanding, enthusiastic football fans have not allowed the absence of the Super Eagles abort their plans for the tournament or stop them from watching the tournament on television. The gale of economic hardship has been relegated to the background.
Despite the odd hours matches are being played in the Americas, diehard Nigerian fans stay awake to watch them. Mind you, the Super Eagles are not there. So, just imagine the outpouring of nationalistic fervour, bonding among Nigerians of different tribes, businesses thriving in many pubs, canteens, buckas and motor parks had Nigeria participated. That speaks to the power of football as a unifier.
Power of football in social cohesion
The question that readily comes to mind is, what would have been the case if the Super Eagles were in the tournament? Without the Super Eagles at the World Cup, Nigerians still keep late nights, to watch the matches. That, to a large extent, shows the power of football and its overwhelming influence among the country’s populace. There is an unwritten code in Nigeria that football is the king of sports. When the national team, the Super Eagles are involved in a match, every Nigerian rallies behind the team. The degree of patriotism exemplified by Nigerian football fans is second to none. That is one moment that underlines the strength of unity in diversity. Writing for an online platform The Cable under the topic: When politics divides Nigeria, football unites, Adebayo Abubakar states inter alia, “Give Nigerians football, and for 90 minutes (sometimes 120), they forget the galloping cost of living. Give them football, and pump prices, potholes, blackouts, and even secessionist rhetoric are put on hold. The irony is almost poetic: the same society that fractures violently along political, ethnic, and religious fault lines becomes, at kickoff, one indivisible republic. Tribe and tongue suddenly no longer differ. They stand in brotherhood—boots laced, hearts pounding, flag held high.” How true!
There is also a story that when the great Brazilian legend late Pele visited Nigeria with his Brazilian club Santos in the ’70s, something happened. During the Nigerian Civil War, hostilities temporarily halted so that soldiers of both sides could listen to the radio commentary of the legendary Pelé and his Santos FC team playing in Nigeria.
In the heated days of Boko Haram, a former coach of El Kanemi Warriors of Maiduguri, while explaining how the club was able to function and host teams, despite the Boko Haram scourge, once told this writer, “even Boko Haram watch football.” This, Adebayo put more succinctly, “Even Nigeria’s darkest actors are not immune. It would be naive to claim that kidnappers, bandits, and terrorists do not, at some point, glance at a screen to check scores or watch a big match. Football suspends reality; crime, grievance, and anger take a brief halftime break. That alone speak volumes about its social power.”
Football as a unifying force – Odegbami
Nigerian football legend Segun Odegbami famously describes football and sports as a potent, unifying force that is even “more powerful than governments” in creating hope, breaking down racial barriers, and healing divided nations. Throughout his advocacy and public lectures, including the 15th Distinguished Public Lecture at Federal University Lokoja, the former captain of the national team highlighted several core aspects of football’s power. He recalled how football helped in accentuating Nigeria’s reconciliation efforts after the bitter 30 month-civil war.
