Nigeria defender Semi Ajayi ruled out of 2026 World Cup Qualifiers

Nigerian senior men’s national team, the Super Eagles preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifying double-header in September have been dealt a significant blow with the withdrawal of defender Semi Ajayi due to a new injury.

The 31-year-old, who recently joined Sky Bet Championship side Hull City, will be unavailable for Super Eagles matches against Rwanda and South Africa, due to a hamstring strain which occurred during his club’s match against Coventry City a week ago.

Ajayi was initially rested as a precaution for the subsequent Carabao Cup defeat against Wrexham United, before further medical scans revealed a more serious issue.

According to reports from the Hull daily mail, the injury is expected to sideline the defender for an estimated period of four to six weeks, ruling him out of Nigeria’s next two World Cup qualifying matches.

This setback marks another injury concern for Ajayi, who had previously struggled with hamstring issues, as hamstring issues on two separate occasions limited his appearances to just 15 games in his final campaign with West Bromwich Albion.

Same injury also limited his appearance for the  Super Eagles as he missed out on the team’s Africa Cup Of Nations 2025 qualifying ties against Benin Republic and Rwanda in November  2024.

He was also ruled for Nigeria’s FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying matches against Rwanda and Zimbabwe last March. Ajayi returned to national team duties in Nigeria’s last three friendlies against Ghana, Jamaica and Russia last May.

Nigeria are scheduled to host Rwanda at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium on Saturday 6 September 2025, before facing South Africa three days later at the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein.

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