By Segun Odegbami
It is increasingly more difficult to separate politics from sports. The 2026 World Cup has become a case study with a spate of political/diplomatic interventions before, during and after the championship: the allocation of the event to 3 countries at loggerheads: refusal to grant visas to certain countries or persons; the intrusion of the American President in technical football matters; and so on!
It is the first time that some of these issues would rear their heads in a global international event such as the World Cup.
Nigeria may be ahead of the rest of the world. It is one of the few countries to establish a Special Department Unit for Sports and Diplomacy to guide the Nigerian government on its related policies. Before now, politics and sports co-habited in a cat-and-mouse game between federations and governments.
In the aftermath of the FIFA World Cup 2026, what would be how best to deal with sports diplomacy issues and challenges in a world embroiled in wars and crisis?
Ukraine and Russia could have been drawn to meet in the World Cup. Or Iran and the USA. Or China and Taiwan. Or Israel and Lebanon!
The man that established the Sports and Diplomacy Unit in the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, NIIA, an agency of the Federal Ministry of External Affairs, Professor Eghosa Osaghae, is my special guest this Saturday, July 25, 2026, on ‘90 minutes with Mathematical’.
Join us from 7:30 am on Eagle7 Sports Radio 103.7 FM, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria. Or click on https://eagle7fm.com/ and be connected for a promising refreshing conversation.
Olusegun Odegbami MON, OLY, AFNIIA, FNIS, Grand Sports Ambassador, Ogun State.
