Nigeria Learns Opponent After Osimhen’s Hat Trick Powers Super Eagles Into WCQ Playoffs
- The Super Eagles qualified for the CAF World Cup playoffs after crushing Benin Republic 4-0
- Nigeria finished among the top four best losers after the permutations over Eritrea’s withdrawal
- Super Eagles’ opponent has been decided after the four countries in the CAF playoff spots were confirmed
The Super Eagles of Nigeria have discovered their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier continental playoff opponents after the CAF qualifying series was concluded.
Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Algeria, Ghana, Cape Verde, South Africa, Ivory Coast, and Senegal are the nine African countries that picked up the automatic tickets.
Source: Getty Images
As noted by The Athletic, Nigeria, Gabon, Cameroon, and the Democratic Republic of Congo will compete for the playoff spot in Africa.
Nigeria squeezed in on the final day after crushing Benin Republic 4-0 at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, thanks to Victor Osimhen’s hat trick.
The Galatasaray forward delivered for his country on the biggest stage after public criticism from Nigerians on social media in the past few days.
DR Congo narrowly finished in Group B, Cameroon finished behind Cape Verde in Group D, and Gabon finished behind Ivory Coast in Group F.
All countries progress after the permutation of excluding the results against the bottom team in each group after Eritrea withdrew from the qualifiers.
Nigeria learn playoff opponent
The Super Eagles of Nigeria will face the Panthers of Gabon in the semifinal of the playoff tourney, while the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon will face the Leopards of DR Congo.
The winners of each semifinal on November 13 will clash against each other on November 16 in a mini-tournament scheduled to be played in Morocco.
The pairing will be decided with the FIFA rankings to be released on October 23, but with significant spaces separating all sides in the September rankings and not much expected to change, the playoff has been decided.
Nigeria is the highest-ranked team in 44th place and, as such, will face the lowest-ranked Gabon in 79th place. Cameroon, in 52nd place, will face Congo DR in 60th place.
Source: Getty Images
As noted by the NFF, the winner of the three-game series will progress into the intercontinental playoffs scheduled to be played in Guadalajara and Monterey in Mexico in March 2026.
Bolivia and North Caledonia have qualified with two teams from Central America, one from Asia, and the African representative is expected to join.
This tourney will also be grouped by FIFA rankings. The top two teams progress to the final, while the bottom four will play in the semis for a chance to reach the final. The two winning teams will complete the 48 nations for the tournament in the United States of America, Canada, and Mexico.
Eric Chelle reacts to Nigeria's win
Legit.ng reported that Eric Chelle reacted to Super Eagles' emphatic 4-0 victory over Benin Republic, which helped them qualify for the CAF playoff.
The Franco-Malian manager admitted that the playoffs will not be easy and his team must quickly regroup and focus on the huge task ahead.
Source: Legit.ng
