Nigeria’s failure to beat Ghana in March prevented them from qualifying for Qatar 2022.

The World Cup in Qatar will allow the rest of the world to visit the region and learn about its diverse cultures as well as Qatar’s evolving progress, the Nigerian ambassador to Qatar told local press recently in an interview.

“Clearly, the State of Qatar has demonstrated that you can achieve anything you put your mind to,”Yakubu Abdullahi Ahmed told The Peninsula, adding that the tournament being held in the Middle East for the first time is an important win for the region.

“I believe the world is set to experience the best tournament yet.”

The ambassador reaffirmed Nigeria’s unwavering support for the tournament’s success, saying that Qatar can always count on Nigeria as a reliable partner at all times.

“We’ve always enjoyed good relations between our two countries, and Nigeria is standing with Qatar to ensure a very successful tournament. Nigerians, in one way or another, have contributed to the success of the FIFA World Cup in their own way,” he said.

Although Nigeria did not qualify for this year’s tournament, the tournament’s first official theme song, Hayya Hayya, featured a prominent Nigerian musician, Davido, alongside Trinidad Cardona, Davido, and Qatar’s very own Aisha. 

Meanwhile, Nigerians constitute a considerable portion of the over 20,000 volunteers taking part in the World Cup, Ahmed added.

“By and large, football is Nigeria’s national sport, and though, it is unfortunate that our team would not be playing in Qatar, Nigeria’s impact would no doubt be felt at Qatar 2022,” he said.