Captain William Troost-Ekong said on Wednesday morning that the Super Eagles will give the CAF Play-Off Tournament for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Morocco next month their very best shot, as the group continues to quietly delight in the 4-0 win over the Bénin Republic in Uyo on Tuesday that sent Nigeria to the play-off tournament, which precedes the intercontinental play-offs scheduled for Mexico in March next year.
“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. 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.
“It was a wonderful team effort on Tuesday evening. Everyone contributed; each person played their part. If the other match had gone in favour, we would have with the automatic ticket now. But that’s life. You take what you get and run with it, and make the best of it.”
Nigeria got their best result of the campaign on an inspired night in the Akwa Ibom State capital, with Victor Osimhen netting a hat-trick and midfielder Frank Onyeka, who came in as a substitute, rifling in with the clock on 90 minutes to send the three-time African champions to the CAF Play-off Tournament.
With the result they earned, the Super Eagles should have picked up the automatic ticket from Group C, but once more, Rwanda’s Amavubi failed to hold things tight for Nigeria at the crucial hour, crumbling like a pack of cards to South Africa’s Bafana Bafana in Nelspruit. It was November 2005 all over again, when all the Amavubi needed to do was hold Angola to a draw on the final matchday at home in Kigali, but they conceded a late goal by Fabrice Akwa to render Nigeria’s five-goal rout of Zimbabwe in Abuja inconsequential, instead sending Angola to their first FIFA World Cup finals.
In the CAF Play-offs, Nigeria will take on Gabon’s Palancas Negras in a ‘first semi-final’ on Thursday, 13th November, with Cameroon taking on the Democratic Republic of Congo in the ‘second semi-final’ on Friday, 14th November. The two winners clash on Sunday, 16th November in the ‘final’, with the winner to proceed to the Intercontinental Play-offs scheduled for the Mexican cities of Guadalajara and Monterrey in March next year.
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At the International Play-off Tournament, six teams will battle for two tickets. The teams are Africa’s winner, Bolivia, New Caledonia, the winner of the Asian play-off between Iraq and the United Arab Emirates, and two of Jamaica, Costa Rica and Panama.
TVC previously reported that Nigeria is set to play Gabon in the semi-finals of the African section of the 2026 FIFA World Cup play-offs, following the conclusion of the qualifying group matches on Tuesday.
The Super Eagles displayed one of the best performances of the qualifying campaign, with Victor Osimhen charging the attack with a superb hat-trick before Frank Onyeka rounded off the scoring towards the end of the match.
The Super Eagles sealed their place after a 4–0 victory over the Benin Republic, while Gabon confirmed second place in Group F with a 2–0 win against Burundi and the Ivory Coast’s charge at Kenya to win the group.
