By Harry Awurumibe
In less than 48 hours from the time of this report, the battle to earn the sole ticket to represent Africa in next year’s intercontinental play-off mini-tournament in Mexico will start as Nigeria’s senior male football team Super Eagles play the match of their lives in the first semi-final match of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) World Cup qualification play-off against the Panthers of Gabon at Prince Héritier Moulay El Hassan Sports Complex, in the city of Rabat, the administrative capital of Kingdom of Morocco.
Thursday’s encounter with the West African brothers will determine if Nigeria is serious about making it to the greatest global football fiesta in the world, the FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted by United States of America (USA), Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19,2026, because a defeat by Gabon will mean the end of the road to the competition while a victory will see Nigeria play in the final of the four-team mini-league organised by CAF for Nigeria, Gabon, Cameroon and Democratic Republic of Congo.
Also, a win in the final against the winner of the second semi-final tie between the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon and Leopards of the Republic of Congo on Sunday at the Prince Héritier Moulay El Hassan Sports Complex, Rabat, will guarantee Nigeria the ticket to represent Africa in an intercontinental play-off holding in Guadalajara and Monterrey, Mexico from March 23 to 31, 2026.
Should Nigeria emerge the African flag bearer, Super Eagles will navigate the tough route of facing teams from four other continents of Asia and CONCACAF as well as CONMEBOL and Oceania which have already produced Bolivia and New Caledonia respectively.
Indeed, the mini-tournament in Morocco is Nigeria’s last chance to reach the 2026 World Cup finals after the country bungled her chances of qualifying directly from Group C in the concluded African qualifiers which South Africa clinched on the last match day.
Nigeria finished in the second place but still made it to the play-off as one of the four best losers courtesy of a 4-0 trashing of Benin Republic at Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state on the final match day.
Placed in the same group with less fancied countries like Lesotho, Rwanda, Benin Republic and South Africa when the qualifiers started in November 2023, football pundits had predicted that Nigeria with her numerous top quality players plying their trades across the top leagues in the world would effortlessly qualify from the group with some matches to spare.
But that was not to be as Nigeria prosecuted the ten matches with three different head coaches of the Super Eagles namely French-Malian-Eric Seoku Chelle (incumbent), Finidi George and Portugal-born José Peseiro who led the Super Eagles to draw their first two matches against Lesotho and Zimbabwe which ended 1-1 on November 16 and November 19, 2023 respectively.
The Portuguese gaffer who earlier led Nigeria to the silver medal finish in the last Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d’Ivoire prior to the World Cup qualifiers was later sacked after the two drawn games just as the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) took too long to get his replacement who happened to be his Nigerian assistant, Finidi George.
But the choice of Finidi over more qualified coaches like former Golden Eaglets FIFA U-17 World Cup winner and later Tanzania trainer Emmanuel Amuneke, did not improve the fortunes of Super Eagles as Nigeria under him drew 1-1 at home with South Africa on June 7, 2024 before losing 2-1 away to Benin Republic on June 10, 2024 in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.
The loss did not go down well with the NFF leadership and then Minister of Sports Senator John Owan Enoh who frantically sought to replace Finidi with a more qualified coach, a situation which led to his resignation from the top job.
With the Super Eagles left without a coach, NFF contracted Chelle, a former Mali senior male football team Eagles of Mali and he tried hard with the support of his employers to salvage the already bad situation.
Chelle, no matter what his critics may say, has not done badly. He has managed to steady the ship as he had in six games won four and drawn two matches. He won 2-0 away versus Rwanda; drawn 1-1 against Zimbabwe; 1-0 defeat of Rwanda in Nigeria; played out 1-1 with South Africa away in Bloemfontein, defeated Lesotho 2-1 away before hammering Benin Republic 4-0 on the final match day in Nigeria on October 14, 2025.
However, all his hard work will come to nought if Gabon gets the better of Nigeria on Thursday in Rabat in the first semi-final match of the CAF Play-off. This is why they former Mali coach will have to come out with a winning formular that will see the Super Eagles fly higher than the Leopards of Congo.
Already, Gabon’s head coach, Thierry Mouyouma has said that he plans to alter his tactics for the 2026 FIFA World Cup playoff tie with Nigeria.
Ahead of the game, Mouyouma said the quality of the Super Eagles has forced him to have a rethink on how to approach the game.
“We will have to change things against Nigeria, especially on a tactical and even technical level,” he told Gabonese Press Agency.
In fact, it is going to be a tough encounter as Gabon has relatively good players who are presently in form, like their skipper Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who scored in his last game for Marseille against Brest, and also Mario Lemina, who plys his trade for Galatasaray in the Turkish League.
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Nevertheless, on paper, the Nigerian squad is better than the Gabonese and Chelle should capitalize on the superiority of his team which boasts of current and immediate past African Footballer of the Year Award winners in Ademola Lookman of Atalanta of Italy and Turkey-based goal king Victor Osimhen to grind out a victory, no matter how ugly.
Super Eagles camp is brimming with good players drawn from top European leagues and that alone should instill confidence in the football-crazy Nigerian fans who will watch from their television sets or other viewing devices from 5 pm Morocco time, the same time in Nigeria.
Super Eagles full list of 23 players in Rabat at the time of this report are as listed below:
Goalkeepers:
Amas Obasogie
Stanley Nwabali
Defenders:
Calvin Bassey
William Troost-Ekong
Benjamin Frederick
Chidozie Awaziem
Zaidu Sanusi
Bruno Onyemaechi
Semi Ajayi
Bright Osayi-Samuel
Midfielders:
Alex Iwobi
Wilfred Ndidi
Olakunle Olusegun
Chidera Ejuke
Raphael Onyedika
Frank Onyeka
Alhassan Yusuf
Forwards:
Samuel Chukwueze
Tolu Arokodare
Moses Simon
Ademola Lookman
Akor Adams
Victor Osimhen
*Expected: Goalie Maduka Okoye
In another development, the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon and Leopards of Democratic Republic of Congo will clash in the other later in the second semi-final tie at the El Barid Stadium, Rabat on Thursday too.
The final will be played at the Prince Héritier Moulay El Hassan Sports Complex, Rabat on Sunday between the winners of Nigeria/Gabon and Cameroon/DR Congo matches.
Harry Awurumibe, is Abuja Bureau Editor, Prompt News Online.
