Former Super Eagles captain, Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha, has revealed that Brazil legend, Ronaldinho, questioned him about Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Nigeria missed out on the tournament after Eric Chelle’s side lost to DR Congo in the African play-off final.

Speaking on the Obi One Podcast, Okocha commended former Super Eagles midfielder John Mikel Obi for openly criticising the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

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

The former Paris Saint-Germain and Bolton Wanderers star explained that his relationship with the NFF leadership makes it 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,” he said.

Okocha, however, revealed that Nigeria’s absence from the World Cup has become a subject of discussion among his former football colleagues.

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

Nigeria’s failure to qualify means the Super Eagles will miss the 2026 World Cup, despite having featured at six previous editions of the tournament.