'I had dreams of playing in 2026 World Cup, not Afcon' - Nnadi opens up on first Super Eagles call-up

Marseille midfielder Tochukwu Nnadi has admitted that his biggest ambition before earning his first international call-up was to represent Nigeria at the 2026 Fifa World Cup.

Nigeria's hopes of reaching the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States were dashed after a penalty shootout defeat to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the final of the African playoffs in November 2025.

Nnadi was a surprise inclusion in the Super Eagles' final squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, where he went on to make his senior debut in a group-stage clash against Uganda.

"I had dreams of playing in the World Cup, not the Afcon. It was a surprise for me. I was happy," Nnadi said on AySuga Channel.

He described the moment he received his first Super Eagles invitation, recalling that it came during a personal phone call with his father.

"I was on a call with my dad when the invitation came, but I wanted to be in the World Cup because I told my friends two years ago that I had to be at the 2026 World Cup.

"Being in the Afcon was great, but I want more."

Nnadi stood out for his consistency this summer as the only player to start all of Nigeria's matches against Zimbabwe, Jamaica, Poland and Portugal, taking his total caps to five.

The former Botev Plovdiv ace was a key member of the Flying Eagles squad to the 2023 Fifa U20 World Cup.