Tag: Super Eagles

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Gusau: Super Eagles will qualify for World Cup ticket

NFF president Ibrahim Gusau has expressed confidence Nigeria will qualify for the 2026 World Cup via the Playoffs, while also backing Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle.

On Tuesday, the Super Eagles kept World Cup hopes alive when they qualified for the continental Playoffs next month in Morocco, where they will battle Gabon, DR Congo and Cameroon for a ticket to next year’s Intercontinental Playoffs in Mexico to produce two more qualifiers for the Mundial.

“We have started preparations (World Cup Playoffs), but the most important thing is the commitment and zeal of the players,” Gusau said while expressing his confidence in Nigeria featuring at next year’s World Cup.

“They have now realised that going to the World Cup is important to their careers, more than even how Nigerians look at it.

“We are getting all the cooperation we need for the government to ensure we are ready for the Playoffs and I know we will move on to the Intercontinental Playoffs.”

He said coach Eric Chelle has justified his appointment as Super Eagles coach by winning four of six World Cup qualifiers.

“Had we had a little resemblance of that record, we would not have been where we are today,” he said. (Nation)

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Super Eagles set for Gabon clash in World Cup play-offs

Nigeria’s Super Eagles will square off against Gabon in the semi-finals of the African zone play-offs for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, following the conclusion of the group stage on Tuesday.

The three-time African champions stormed into the play-offs with an emphatic 4–0 thrashing of Benin Republic, sealing second place in their qualifying group. Gabon also booked their spot after a 2–0 win over Burundi, aided by Ivory Coast’s victory against Kenya, which left the Panthers in second place in Group F.

Elsewhere, DR Congo edged Sudan 1–0 to finish runners-up to Senegal in Group B, while Cameroon clinched second place in Group D behind Cape Verde, rounding out the four best runners-up heading to the play-offs.

The mini-tournament will be held in Morocco from November 13 to 16, featuring Nigeria, Gabon, Cameroon, and DR Congo. The format will see the two semi-final winners face off in a single-leg final for a ticket to the inter-confederation play-offs in March 2026, where one African team will have a final shot at qualifying for the World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

According to the seeding arrangement, Nigeria—projected to remain Africa’s highest-ranked team among the four when FIFA releases its updated rankings on October 23—will face Gabon, the lowest-ranked side of the quartet. Cameroon and DR Congo will meet in the other semi-final.

Both semi-finals are scheduled for November 13, with the final taking place three days later. All matches will be single-leg encounters, with extra time and penalties to decide the outcome if necessary.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) is expected to confirm the host cities and venues in the coming days.

While Africa’s nine group winners have already secured direct qualification for next year’s expanded 48-team World Cup, the play-offs offer the continent one more pathway to add an extra representative via the inter-continental route. (Vanguard)

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Plane flying Super Eagles back to Nigeria makes emergency landing in Angola

The aircraft conveying Nigeria’s Super Eagles from South Africa to Uyo for their final World Cup qualifier against the Benin Republic made an emergency landing in Luanda, Angola, on Saturday after developing a technical fault mid-air.

The ValueJet aircraft, which initially stopped in Luanda to refuel, reportedly turned back about 25 minutes after takeoff when a loud crack appeared on the aircraft’s windshield, prompting the pilot to initiate emergency procedures.

The same aircraft had flown some members of the delegation to Polokwane on Thursday night, arriving in the South African city on Friday morning.

All players, officials, and government delegates on board were safely evacuated upon landing.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) confirmed the incident, adding that a cracked windscreen was responsible for the emergency landing

”However, after a routine refuelling stop in Luanda, Angola (where the plane also stopped to refuel on Thursday night, and where the same plane had stopped to refuel to and from Bloemfontein in South Africa for the Matchday 8 encounter between the Super Eagles and the Bafana Bafana last month).”

”The aircraft suffered a cracked windscreen mid-air after take-off, and the pilot did well to guide the aeroplane safely back to the airport in Luanda,” the NFF said

The football federation also said plans were being made for another aircraft to fly from Lagos and pick up the delegation in Luanda.

“ValueJet Airline and the relevant Federal Government of Nigeria authorities, including the Hon. Minister of Aviation, the Hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Chief of Staff to Mr President, are working assiduously to get the necessary overflying and landing permits for another aircraft to fly from Lagos, pick the delegation in Luanda and fly them to Uyo.” (Channels)

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Senegal beat Nigeria 1–0 in CHAN 2024 Group D opener

Defending champions, Senegal, began their title defence at the TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship (CHAN) PAMOJA 2024 with a hard-fought 1–0 victory over Nigeria in a fiercely contested Group D clash at the Amaan Stadium, Zanzibar.

The match, played at high intensity, delivered the drama expected of two of Africa’s most storied footballing nations.

The lone goal came in the 75th minute, when Moctar Koïté burst down the right flank on a swift counter-attack and delivered a pinpoint low cross into the box.

Christian Gomis arrived unmarked and calmly slotted home with his left foot to seal the win for Senegal.

Despite late pressure from Nigeria—including a near miss by Vincent Temitope—the home-based Super Eagles couldn’t find a breakthrough.

Senegal, winners of the 2022 edition in Algeria, began the match composed but had to weather early Nigerian pressure.

Both teams had chances in a cagey first half: Sikiru Alimi tested Senegal’s goalkeeper Marc Diouf, while Daouda Ba and Koïté launched long-range efforts that troubled Nigeria’s defence.

Coach Éric Chelle of Nigeria remained optimistic after the match: “We’ll take each game as it comes,” he said, with matches against Congo and Sudan still to follow in the group.

Senegal’s coach Souleymane Diallo, who had dismissed suggestions of pressure before the match, reiterated his side’s ambition: “We’re not here to defend a trophy; we’re here to win a new one.”

This win extends Senegal’s unbeaten run against West African opponents at CHAN and marks their sixth 1–0 victory in the tournament’s history—further evidence of their trademark defensive solidity.

The tournament, which features players active only in their domestic leagues, opened with exactly the kind of tightly contested fixture expected from these regional heavyweights. (Punch)

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Falcons will inspire Eagles’ World Cup chase – Gusau

President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Ibrahim Musa Gusau, has described the Super Falcons’ stirring comeback win in the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final as a source of motivation for the Super Eagles in their quest to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The Falcons overturned a two-goal deficit to defeat hosts Morocco 3–2 in Saturday night’s dramatic final at the Stade Olympique de Rabat, a feat Gusau believes reflects the resilient spirit required by the men’s team as they prepare for four crucial qualifying matches.

“I am very happy because our girls rose from the ‘dead’, as they say, and fought to victory. This was an extraordinary performance. I congratulate them for their resilience, doggedness, patriotism and the blatant display of the well-known Nigerian spirit,” Gusau said after the final.

“This victory, and the spirit behind it, will have positive implications for the men in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying series. We have four more matches to turn the tables against our opponents, and watching the Super Falcons tonight, and how they turned things around, underscores again the wise saying that in sport and life, it is never over until it is over.”

Gusau hailed the Falcons’ impressive tournament form, in which they scored 14 goals and conceded just three en route to winning a record-extending 10th continental title.

He praised the team’s technical crew, captain and entire squad for a campaign that not only restored pride but rewrote their redemption story from the 2022 edition.

“From the coaching crew to the team captain and the players, we say thank you and well done. With a commanding triumph in the Women’s AFCON once again, what is left for us to target now is conquering the world at the FIFA Women’s World Cup,” Gusau added.

With Nigeria’s 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign set to resume in September, against Rwanda at home and South Africa away, Gusau believes the Falcons’ resilience has laid down the blueprint for them.

“This triumph reminds us that no matter how dire the situation, belief and effort can turn things around. The Eagles must draw from this and fight for Nigeria,” he said. (Punch)

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Ex-Eagles keeper trainer Agu salutes Rufai

Former Super Eagles goalkeeper trainer Alloy Agu has hailed the late Peter Rufai as one of the best he has ever seen in the colours of Nigeria, following the death of the Nigerian goalkeeping legend last week, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Rufai died at the age of 61 last Thursday following a brief illness and tributes have been pouring from different corners of the world and even outside the football community.

Agu competed for the number one jersey with Rufai during their heydays in the national team and the ex-Eagles keeper trainer says he won’t shy away from regarding the late keeper as number one.

“It’s an international loss. He was a little bit ahead of us, and honestly, he was number one. Peter is somebody whose confidence and command of the goalpost is one of the best I have ever seen,” Agu told The PUNCH.

“Working with him enabled me to see how hardworking he was and how thorough he was about his game.

The 57-year-old Agu was the preferred choice for some of the qualifying matches for the USA 1994 World Cup but he was displaced by Rufai towards the end of the series and for the mundial.

Despite losing his place, Agu noted their rivalry was healthy during an interview with Premium Times.

“I think everyone has a role to play and then, I told myself, he is Nigerian too. And there was a time he was on the bench watching while I was Nigeria’s No.1. I had to support Rufai when the coach picked him ahead of me.

“I had no hard feelings because we are one happy family and Nigeria is bigger than anyone. I came into the picture again when we played against the Asian team and was adjudged as the man of the match. No man is an island!”

The late Rufai made over 60 caps for Nigeria and he famously scored a goal – a penalty which was the last goal in the 6-0 drubbing of Ethiopia during a 1994 AFCON qualifier.

He later led Nigeria to a second continental title in Tunisia in 1994. His penalty saves in the semi-final against holders Ivory Coast and three crucial saves in the final against Zambia remain etched in Nigerian football folklore. (Punch)

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Troost-Ekong targets 2025 AFCON glory, 2026 World Cup qualification

The captain of Nigeria’s Super Eagles, William Troost-Ekong, has declared the team’s unwavering commitment to clinching the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title and earning a spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Speaking during an interview with the Saudi Pro League in Ar Rass, the Nigerian defender shared his pride in leading the national side and highlighted their ambitious goals.

“It’s an incredible honour to captain Nigeria,” Troost-Ekong stated. “This role carries significant responsibility, as Nigeria is a football powerhouse with an abundance of talent. However, despite our potential, we’ve often fallen short of expectations over the years, given the calibre of players we produce.”

The former Watford centre-back praised the current generation of Super Eagles players and expressed confidence in the team’s future.

“I’m really enjoying the experience and trying to contribute the best I can. With the group of players we have now—who are extremely talented—our focus is clear: to win the next AFCON and qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

“We came very close at the last AFCON, and that’s something we’ve all learned from. Now, as captain, the mission feels even more meaningful,” he said. (Punch)