Claim

A Facebook user, Oyedokun Ayodele Oluwasemilore, claimed that this year, 2022, is the first time since 2006 that Nigeria will not be participating in the World Cup.

His exact statement is:  “Nigeria will not participate in this year’s World Cup. This is the first time since 2006”.

At the time of fact-checking, the post has gathered 25 likes, 2 comments, and 2 shares. 

The World Cup

The World Cup is a football competition that is held every four years in a selected country. Organized by the Federation of International football, FIFA, the competition comprises 32 teams and is usually played for a month.

France is the current champion of the last edition held in Russia in 2018 while Brazil stands as the most successful team with five trophies.

Only five African countries are usually given slots to participate in the World Cup.

This year’s world cup will be held in Qatar and will commence on Monday, 21 November to Sunday, 18 December.

The Super Eagles Of Nigeria

The male football team of Nigeria, Super Eagles have participated in the world cup six times, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2010, 2014, and 2018. They reached the round of 16 in 1994, 1998, and 2014. 

Did Super Eagles Play In The 2006 World?

The 2006 FIFA World Cup held in Germany had five African countries, Togo, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Tunisia, and Angola that participated in the competition.

What About Nigeria?

The Super Eagles failed to qualify for the World Cup due to their defeat to Angola. Nigeria played a 1-1 draw in Kano and the reverse fixture was a 1-0 defeat of Nigeria. Both sides had the same point of 21, but Angola proceeded to the World Cup on head-to-head records. 

Conclusion and Verdict

The Super Eagles never went to the 2006 World Cup in Germany but participated from 2010 till the last edition, 2018. However, the Super Eagles of Nigeria failed to progress to the World Cup which is scheduled to be held in Qatar in 2022 after their shocking 1-1 home draw to Ghana on Tuesday. 

They couldn’t progress due to the away goal rule and this validates the claim of the Facebook user which means that the Nigerian flag won’t fly in this year’s World Cup for the first time since their first exclusion in 2006. The claim is therefore TRUE.