The Super Eagles’ precarious position in the World Cup qualifiers could result in them missing out on a place at the 2026 tournament as they are presently 5th in the six-team group, four points behind the frontrunners Rwanda.
In fact, the team has yet to secure a victory in the series, drawing with Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and South Africa before losing 1-2 to Benin Republic in their previous match in the series, which will resume in March.
Looking forward to their matches against Rwanda and Zimbabwe on a proposed date of 17th and 24th of March respectively, a player from the team has reflected on their campaign and attributed it to their poor beginning, partly due to the disappointing start under former coach Jose Peseiro.
Speaking on the condition of confidentiality, the player told our reporter after the post-match briefing of the 1-2 loss to Rwanda in their final AFCON qualifiers game that the conflict between Peseiro and captain William Troost-Ekong played a major role in the disappointing start.
“We (Super Eagles) began the last two World Cup qualifiers set of matches with consecutive wins. This time, we began by dropping four points. So we started playing catch-up from the outset. You need to assess matters this way. The dispute between Ekong and the coach (Peseiro) meant we played an unorthodox pair at center back in two consecutive games. Ekong didn’t even make the squad,” he explained.
“Ekong reconciled with Peseiro before the AFCON and the outcome was evident for all to witness. He was the MVP at the tournament. Unfortunately, he hasn’t played in any World Cup qualifiers because he sustained an injury after the AFCON. We hope to have him available for the matches in March.”
