By SCM Staff Writer I Wednesday, October 15,2025
ABUJA – Nigeria’s Super Eagles are heading to the final stages of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers after star striker Victor Osimhen bagged a brilliant hat-trick in a 4-0 thrashing of Benin Republic on Tuesday night.
The victory, sealed with a late strike from substitute Frank Onyeka, sent the three-time African champions to the CAF Play-Off Tournament in Morocco next month.
Despite the comprehensive win in Uyo, the Eagles were denied an automatic ticket to the finals after a familiar foe dashed their hopes. Rwanda’s Amavubi, who needed only a draw against South Africa to help Nigeria through, “crumbled like a pack of cards,” losing in Nelspruit.
It was a tough pill for the Super Eagles to swallow, evoking painful memories of November 2005 when Rwanda’s failure to hold Angola cost Nigeria a World Cup spot.
However, Captain William Troost-Ekong insisted his squad will not let the disappointment derail their mission.
Speaking on Wednesday morning, the skipper said: “We are quite happy to have that opportunity. It is a long route but it is a route after all. We would have loved to get the automatic ticket but it didn’t happen and we take what we have.”
Troost-Ekong praised the team effort, saying: “Everyone contributed; each person played their part… You take what you get and run with it, and make the best of it.”
”For us, we will remain strong and tough and ready to confront every challenge on our way as we search for the ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup,” he added.
The Long Road to Mexico
Nigeria now faces a gruelling path if they want to reach the finals in North America.
First, they must navigate the four-team CAF Play-Off Tournament in Morocco:
Semi-Final 1: Nigeria vs. Gabon on Thursday, November 13th.
Semi-Final 2: Cameroon vs. DR Congo on Friday, November 14th.
Final: The two winners clash on Sunday, November 16th.
The winner of the Morocco tournament will then proceed to the Intercontinental Play-offs in Mexico next March.
There, they will join Bolivia, New Caledonia, the winner of the Asian play-off, and two of Jamaica, Costa Rica, or Panama, with six teams battling for just two World Cup spots.
The Super Eagles are determined to make it, but as Captain Troost-Ekong admitted, it’s going to be the hard way.
