U.S. striker, Folarin Balogun. Credit AFP
Although the Super Eagles are absent from the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, Nigeria’s influence on the tournament has been impossible to ignore. More than 16 players of Nigerian descent have featured across the 48-nation competition — twice the number who participated at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar — with several already leaving their mark on the group stage, PETER AKINBO writes
The most eye-catching contribution has come from Balogun, who has established himself as one of the early stars of the entire tournament. The 25-year-old, born in New York to Nigerian parents and raised in England, announced himself with a brace in the United States’ 4-1 demolition of Paraguay, becoming the first American player to score two or more goals in a World Cup match in 96 years.
He followed that up with another Man of the Match display in the 2-0 victory over Australia that sealed the co-hosts’ place in the Round of 32 as Group D winners, contributing to the opener without scoring as his high pressing forced defender Cameron Burgess into an own goal. His back-to-back Man of the Match awards have made him the standout Nigerian-heritage performer of the tournament so far.
