Nottingham Forest defender Ola Aina believes the club can secure UEFA Champions League qualification next season after narrowly missing out on Europe's elite competition in the campaign just concluded.
The Nigeria international, whose season was disrupted by two injury layoffs, expressed confidence that Forest have the quality to break into the Premier League's top four when the 2026/27 season gets underway.
Forest came agonisingly close to reaching the Champions League after an impressive campaign but ultimately fell short, with their European adventure ending in the Europa League semi-finals against eventual champions Aston Villa.
Aina missed a significant part of the season after suffering a serious hamstring injury while on international duty with the Super Eagles during a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against South Africa.
The versatile full-back recovered to play a key role in Forest's run to the Europa League last four before another injury setback curtailed his campaign. He sustained a knee injury during the first-leg victory over Aston Villa, ruling him out of the decisive return leg and the remainder of the season.
Speaking on his podcast, Aina admitted Forest were unfortunate to be without several key players for the semi-final and believes a fully fit squad could have gone on to lift the trophy.
"If we had the full team—Callum, me, Morgan, Murillo couldn't play 90 minutes—I would have been standing here with my medal. It wasn't in the plans. God said it wasn't supposed to be," Aina said.
Despite the disappointment, the 29-year-old remains optimistic that Forest can build on last season's progress and mount a serious challenge for a Champions League place in the upcoming campaign.
