Exclusive: Abdelkarim: Libya Will Qualify for 2026 World Cup – 'AFCON Miss a Blessing in Disguise'

Libya legend Ahmed Abdelkarim is confident in his country's chances of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, despite their failure to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, which he described as "a blessing in disguise."

Having missed the last six editions of the tournament, the North Africans were hopeful of staging a return to the prestigious event. However, they fell short in their qualification bid, finishing at the bottom of a group that included Nigeria, Benin Republic, and Rwanda.

Now, the Mediterranean Knights are focused on qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup for the first time, aiming to make up for their absence in the Africa Cup of Nations. Their best AFCON result was a runner-up finish in 1982 as hosts.

AFCON MISS A 'BLESSING IN DISGUISE'

Libya are currently second in Group D of the CAF World Cup qualifiers, one point behind leaders Cameroon, with seven points from four matches.

Despite their current position, they remain on track to progress, as the runners-up in the group could potentially compete in the second round and advance through the inter-confederation play-offs.

According to Abdelkarim, his country will qualify for the 2026 World Cup, barring any fitness issues, as the players are motivated by their failure to qualify for the AFCON in Morocco.

"Yes, we won’t be playing in Morocco, which is a disappointing development for our football. Our goal was to qualify for AFCON, especially with its return to home soil in North Africa, but that didn’t happen," he told SportsBoom.com.

"The boys finished the qualifiers strongly, but it wasn’t enough to recover from the poor start to the campaign. Looking at the final standings, it’s clear that winning all our home matches would have guaranteed our spot in the next edition, but it is what it is.

"Kudos to coach [Nasser] Al-Hadhiri for doing an excellent job despite stepping into the role at a very challenging time. Personally, I believe not qualifying for the 2025 AFCON is a blessing in disguise, as it gives us ample time to focus on the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

"Our destiny is in our hands now, and I can assure you that we will be at the next World Cup, provided our key players remain injury-free."

To achieve their World Cup dreams, Libya must navigate a challenging group that includes Cape Verde, Mauritius, Angola, and Eswatini.

LIBYA A RESPECTFUL FOOTBALL NATION 

Abdelkarim shares his views on the Confederation of African Football’s sanction on Libya, which he believes was instrumental in the North Africans’ failure to qualify.

The Super Eagles refused to play the match in Benghazi, citing alleged mistreatment upon their arrival in the country 48 hours before the scheduled kick-off.

Players and officials of the three-time African champions were reportedly held at the airport for over 16 hours after their plane was redirected. This prompted CAF to impose a hefty fine on Libya and award three points to their opponents.

The retired player claims the ruling body’s decision was overly harsh: "I believe CAF's ruling played a significant role in our failure to qualify, and I strongly feel the decision was harsh on us.

"Nigeria did worse when we visited them, yet no one addressed it. But when it’s Libya, the world seems to be against us. The best decision would have been to play the match on neutral ground, where I’m confident we would have won convincingly. Looking at our last two matches, we secured a draw and an away win, showing our potential.

"I want to take this opportunity to correct the mistaken perceptions about Libyan football and the Libyan people. We are a loving country that treats all visitors and guests with respect.

"If you look at the Libyan league, it features players from many nationalities who can attest to our hospitality and fairness. Unfortunately, the narrative pushed on social media was aimed at tarnishing our image."

ABDELKARIM CONFIDENT LIBYA CHAN TRIUMPH

Before Libya’s withdrawal from next year’s African Nations Championship, Abdelkarim had confidently predicted his country would secure a second title.

"This tournament is ours to lose, as 90 percent of our national team players are eligible to participate," he said. "Without sounding boastful, we are confident about winning the African Nations Championship due to the team’s strength and our impressive track record."

Libya won their only African Nations Championship title in 2013, defeating Ghana on penalties in a thrilling final in Cape Town. Despite qualifying for the tournament set to take place in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, they withdrew citing a scheduling conflict.

The Knights will make their return to international football in March, hosting Angola in a FIFA World Cup qualifier.