Nigeria coach & captain confident of securing World Cup spot | OneFootball

Interview

Super Eagles mentor and skipper upbeat about World Cup chances

Photo: Adaramola Yemiblak

Nigeria national team head coach Eric Chelle and captain Wliiam Troost-Ekong are optimistic about sealing qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The Super Eagles face an uphill battle as they are set to host Group C leaders Benin in their final World Cup qualifying match at Godswill Akpabio Stadium on Tuesday.

Nigeria head into the game sitting in third place with 14 points from nine matches, while Gernot Rohr's men have racked up 17 points.

Despite being on the backfoot, Chelle is upbeat about guiding his team to the global showpiece, in what he describes as the standout match of his coaching career.

“For me as a coach, maybe it's the most important game of my career. So, I'm very happy, I am very excited. Sometimes I am a little bit nervous but I like this pressure and tomorrow [Tuesday] we will see,” said the former Mali international.

Meanwhile, reliable skipper Troost-Ekong echoes the same sentiments as his mentor, stating the Nigerian camp consists of players hungry to etch their name in the history books of the country.

“I think we have a special generation of players who all want to make a name for themselves and all want to go down in history. So, tomorrow is an opportunity. It's not 100% in our hands and it hasn't been for the last year maybe,” he asserted.

”But every time we try to control what we can and tomorrow is a great game for us, great opportunity here at home in Uyo, which is always a special place - I remember when we qualified here for the 2018 World Cup in 2017and I hope tomorrow we can make the same memories.

Having failed to qualify for Qatar 2022, Nigeria are at risk of missing out in back-to-back World Cups for the first time since making their debut in 1994.