A claimed that Nigeria did not qualify for the FIFA World Cup during former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has circulated on X.
An X user, @Nsukka_okpa, posted the claim with a caption thus:
“We no go World Cup for Buhari’s tenure. We no go World Cup for Tinubu’s tenure. Na APC me I Dey blame.”
The post, written in Pidgin English, has generated more than 94,000 views plus over 1,200 likes and more than 6,500 likes as of May 28, 2025.
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The claim surfaced following Nigeria’s 1-1 draw against Zimbabwe in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier, a result that further weakened the Super Eagles’ chances of securing a spot in the tournament.
CLAIM
Nigeria did not qualify for the FIFA World Cup during Buhari’s administration.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE, as the Nigerian Super Eagles team qualified for and played during the group stage in the 2018 World Cup tournament.
Nigeria currently sits fourth in the Group C of the CAF World Cup Qualifying matches, with only the top team earning an automatic qualification slot, while the four best runners-up proceed to a playoff.
Buhari was Nigeria’s president from 2015 to 2023. During this period, two World Cup tournaments were held.
In 2018, Nigeria qualified for the tournament in Russia, marking the country’s sixth World Cup appearance. The Super Eagles were placed in Group D alongside Argentina, Croatia, and Iceland.
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During the 2018 tournament, Nigeria lost its opening match 2-0 to Croatia, with an own goal from Oghenekaro Etebo and a Luka Modrić penalty sealing the defeat. In their second match, Nigeria revived their hopes with a 2-0 victory over Iceland, thanks to a brace from Ahmed Musa. However, in their final group match against Argentina, a late goal by Marcos Rojo condemned the Super Eagles to a 2-1 defeat, eliminating them from the tournament.
In 2022, Nigeria failed to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar after a 1-1 draw against Ghana in Abuja. The result meant the Black Stars advanced on away goals, denying Nigeria a spot at the tournament.
In addition, Nigeria is yet to qualify for the 2026 World Cup under the current President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, as the qualifying matches are still underway and yet to be concluded. Note that this will be the first World Cup tournament to be held since Tinubu was sworn-in as Nigeria’s president on May 29, 2023.
THE VERDICT
The claim that Nigeria did not qualify for the World Cup under Buhari is FALSE; credible report shows that the country participated in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia but failed to qualify for the 2022 edition in Qatar.
Nurudeen Akewushola is a fact-checker with FactCheckHub. He has authored several fact checks which have contributed to the fight against information disorder. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 via Twitter.
