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Last Tuesday at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, followers of the Super Eagles in the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign would hardly recognise the same team that had prosecuted the previous matches of the ongoing 2026 World Cup qualification campaign.
The match against the Cheetahs of Benin Republic in Uyo bore the semblance of a team Nigeriabs had expected to see from the day the draws were made
Against all expectations bearing in mind their antecedents since the qualifiers started, the former African champions imposed themselves in the game and dictated the pace. In the match, they showed nerve, tact, precision and was compact with very little margins for errors, with emphasis on greater understanding.
According to commentators, if the players had shown half of the seriousness brought to bear in the match against their neighbours, perhaps the automatic qualification would have been sealed long before the last game in Uyo.
As a result, the impact was rewarded early as Osimhen pounced on a cross from Samuel Chukwueze for Nigeria’s opener in just three minutes and that paved the way for his hat trick as Frank Onyeka, netted inside the additional time to complete the 4-0 rout of the Cheetahs, managed by Nigerian former manager, Gernot Roger.
The win and the four goals, exactly what the team required to berth into the continental playoff, reignited hope that the hitherto favourites in the CAF Group C of the World Cup qualifiers would eventually mount a serious charge for a place at next year’s World Cup to be co-hosted by the trio of the United States, Mexico and Canada.
While the celebrations have lasted, Nigerians have settled into the reality of a playoff and demand an improved national team. Between November 13 and 16, the hostilities would start in Morocco as Nigeria battle Gabon, Cameroon and Democratic Republic of Congo for the sole ticket ahead of the intercontinental playoff.
To Segun Odegbami, former captain of the side, the Super Eagles stand a chance of eventually qualifying for the World Cup.
“I think we have a very good chance to qualify from these play-offs to make it to the World Cup,” he said while reacting to the 4-0 thumping of Benin Republic.
The former Green Eagles winger praised the team’s performance in Uyo, saying they deserved the emphatic win that kept their World Cup hopes alive.
“We did very well. I am happy with the boys, and I think we deserved to win and we won very well and we now have an opportunity to qualify,” Odegbami said.
Meanwhile, according to the continental playoff rule, there will be two semifinals where the highest ranked team would face the lowest ranked side while the other two would face off. Winners of the two matches would meet in the final where the winner would proceed for the intercontinental playoff from where two countries would eventually qualify.
On the strength of that, Nigeria as the current highest ranked side of the four (45th) will play Gabon (79th) the lowest ranked while Cameroon would play DR Congo.
Should the Super Eagles expectedly beat Gabon and also defeat the winner of the other semifinal in the final, they would, in March, proceed to Mexico for the final of the playoffs.
A brief of the intercontinental playoff shows that there would be six countries — one each from CAF, AFC, OFC, CONMEBOL (South America) and two from CONCACAF (North, Central America, Caribbean).
In the intercontinental playoff, FIFA World Ranking would also be applied as the two highest ranked sides would be seeded while the other four would go into semifinals. The two winners would meet the seeded teams and the winners of the two finals will proceed to the World Cup to complete the 48-team Mundial.
As at the time of going to press, only two countries have confirmed their places in the inter-continental playoffs and they are Caledonia from Oceania and Bolivia from South America.
Meanwhile, the emphasis for the Super Eagles is the continental playoff and how they could navigate the tasks.
It is generally believed that this is the time the NFF would show greater commitment to the welfare of the players. There should be sustained interest in the welfare of the entire team. The technical committee of the Glass House should liaise with Eric Chelle, the coach, to come up with the best way to prepare the team as the playoff is one legged and a knockout, meaning there is zero margin for error.
This is because for missing out on the automatic qualification, the NFF would have to reset their logistics and it also comes with a prize, including ferrying the players to and from their clubs as well as other financial commitments.
However, while the emphasis is on the NFF and the coach, the players showed in their last game that they also have their blame in the earlier abysmal performance of the Super Eagles. They failed to assert themselves in the matches they earlier played, leading to the present dismal situation.
Consequently, Etim Esin, legendary midfielder, has said given their form against Benin Republic, the qualification is theirs to bungle, charging them to up their games, noting that it is firmly in their hands. He spoke to our correspondent.
“So they can even score four goals in a match,” he asked, making reference to their 4-0 win over Benin Republic.
He said further; “Throughout the previous matches, they were finding it difficult to score goals and I am surprised that they can score four goals.
“It showed that it is in them, they put themselves in that tight corner. What has changed from their previous matches, or is it the more you look the less you see? Was it match fixing or what that they got the four goals they needed to enter playoff?
“So the match against Benin Republic has shown that it is in their hand if they want to play at the World Cup.
“It is not about the coach, it is not about the NFF; it is about them because they failed to lift their games in their previous matches but we all saw what they could have done earlier against Benin Republic.”
He said the team is lucky to even be starting the playoff against Gabon, urging them to lift their games
“It is even advantage to them that they are starting against Gabon and not Cameroon because we are always in rivalry with Cameroon.
“I am not underrating the Gabonese but I think they are a much lesser opponent compared to Cameroon, but honestly the players didn’t try initially.
“1Where is the strength and ability they got to score four goals they needed for the playoff? It is strange and like I said everything is right now in their hand whether they want to go to the World Cup or not,” he said.
The former international said missing next year’s World Cup would impact negatively on the players, some of whom he noted won’t be able to make it in the next edition.
“If they fail to qualify, it would be so hard on them because by the time the next World Cup comes, a whole lot of the current players would not be available and that is a dent on them.
“It would also set our football backward and this is why I am still surprised at how they played previous matches and what came over them against Benin Republic,” he said.
Former NFF secretary general, Sani Toro, while congratulating NFF and the team for booking the playoff spot, said this is the time for all hands to be on the plough.
“I wish to congratulate the Super Eagles of Nigeria, the Nigeria Football Federation, sports-loving Nigerians, and corporate bodies for the team’s qualification for the CAF playoffs in the World Cup qualifying series,” Toro said.
“It is a nice thing that they were able to scale through this initial hurdle. The NFF needs to put extra effort for the Super Eagles to succeed in both the CAF and FIFA inter-confederation playoff tournaments in March 2026 so that Nigeria can secure one of the remaining World Cup slots.”
While speaking to SportyTV, former defender, Ifeanyi Udeze, charged the players to maintain the same hunger they showed against Benin Republic, saying if they had played that way before, obviously they would have qualified ahead of time.
“If the Super Eagles had played Lesotho and Zimbabwe the way they play against Benin, I am sure we wouldn’t be where we are at the moment,” he said.
“But so far so good; I am happy with the way the players turned up against Benin Republic. All the Super Eagles players played their hearts out.
“They played good football today, and I am just happy with the way they played. I hope they continue this way in the playoffs even though we didn’t make it to the World Cup automatically.
“Preferably, I would like the Super Eagles to face Cameroon in the playoffs.”
On his own, Idah Peterside, former national team goalkeeper, warned the players against underrating their first playoff opponent, the Panthers of Gabon, saying with players like Aubameyang, the team could be dangerous with speed and precision.
Speaking with Soccer Beat, Peterside described the tie as a potential banana peel, warning that the Super Eagles cannot afford to be complacent.
“Gabon is not a small team anymore,” he said. “With players like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, they have speed, confidence, and the ability to hurt any side that takes them for granted.”
Peterside likened Gabon’s current form to that of Cape Verde, another small nation that has become a force in African football.
The former goalkeeper also reminded the Super Eagles of the pain of missing the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, urging them to treat the playoffs like a final.
