Super Eagles with broken wings: Greatest WC qualifiers collapse since "Orange meltdown of '02"

It's in human nature to enjoy the fall of a giant - unless it's the giant you support, of course. There's something highly ethical and just in siding with the underdog, supporting David against Goliath, and, once the giant's knees touch the ground, gloating over its failure.

However - unfortunately, some would say - there are few spheres left in today's world where a common man can take pleasure in seeing a giant humbled. Luckily, the sport we all adore is one of them.

Sport always gives a fair chance, and even though Davids don't usually triumph, their rare wins go down in history books.

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Now, DR Congo is everything but a weak team, but compared to Nigeria... Moreover, only a rare national team in the world would be superior to the star-studded crew featuring Calvin Bassey, Alex Iwobi, Ademola Lookman, Samuel Chukwueze, Victor Osimhen, and others in its ranks.

And yet, the Leopards emerged victorious in the final of the 2026 FIFA World Cup African playoffs, crushing the Super Eagles' WC dreams. To make matters worse, arguably the most powerful national team on the Mother Continent will miss its second consecutive World Cup.

The reasons for Eric Chelle's team's catastrophe are numerous - one of which is the Malian tactician himself - but we won't add to the Nigerians' already difficult situation. Nevertheless, we can't help but notice one thing:

The Super Eagles' collapse is the second-greatest upset in WC qualifiers since 2002. Some would even put it in the runner-up spot in the 91-year history of the World Cup qualifiers, but the top is reserved for the "Orange meltdown of '02" or the Netherlands' failure to qualify for the World Cup held in South Korea and Japan.

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Truth be told, Nigeria's defence could raise some eyebrows, but for the African standards, it's still pretty good. On the other hand, the Dutchmen had it all.

De Boer brothers, Frank and Ronald, Roy Makaay, who'll bust nets at Bayern Munich in the following years, Arsenal's Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Barcelona's trio of Patrick Kluivert, Phillip Cocu, and Marc Overmars, Edgar Davids, Clarence Seedorf, merciless centre-back Jap Staam, Man United's Ruud van Nistelrooy, Chelsea's trio of Mario Melchiot, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, and Boudewijn Zenden, Rafael van der Vaart, who'll become the maiden winner of the Golden Boy award just a year later...

Disappointed Dutch fans after their team's 2002 World Cup dreams were shattered in Ireland (©Gary M Prior /Allsport/Getty Images)

Still, it wasn't enough to qualify past Portugal and the Republic of Ireland. After consecutive 1998 WC and 2000 EURO semi-finals, they fell short when no one saw it coming, expecting a step forward.

It took years for everyone to realize that they were deprived of watching an exceptional team on the biggest stage. Twenty-four years ago, the Dutch giant was on its knees and, from this perspective, its absence took away a touch of quality and charm from the 2002 World Cup.

Sooner or later, perhaps 20 years from now, someone will blow the dust off football almanacs - or use the internet or whatever this crazy world invents by then - remember the Super Eagles with broken wings, and quietly utter the sentence:

"The 2026 World Cup would have been much better with Nigeria."