Nigeria need their superstar forwards to fire them back to the World Cup
After missing the 2022 World Cup, Nigeria have the attacking talent to make amends at the 2026 tournament.
The 2022 World Cup didn’t feel right without Nigeria. For so long, the Super Eagles were flag bearers for African football at the top of the international game. Players like Jay-Jay Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu and John Obi Mikel were Nigerian icons, but nobody from the country made a name for themselves in Qatar.
Three years later, the Super Eagles are on their way to making amends. While Eric Chelle’s team missed out on automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup, finishing a point behind Group C winners South Africa, Thursday’s clash against Gabon could be another step on the road to next summer’s tournament.
On paper, Nigeria boast one of the strongest squads in Africa. Of the 24 players called up by Chelle for the crunch qualifier against Gabon, 11 ply their trade in a ‘Big Five’ league. Others play in Belgium, Portugal and Türkiye. This is a squad full of quality and experience at the highest level.
Victor Osimhen is Nigeria’s brightest star. The 26-year-old is widely considered one of the best centre forwards in the game at this moment in time and has scored six goals in his last five outings for Galatasaray. Osimhen is currently the top scorer in this season’s Champions League, underlining his status as one of Europe’s best.
When Osimhen plays well, Nigeria does too. That was certainly the case in the Super Eagles’ last World Cup qualifier against Benin when Osinhen scored three times in a comfortable 4-0 victory. Too often, though, Nigeria don’t do enough to harness their best player and top scorer.
Nigeria started their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign with a four-game winless run that exposed a number of issues within the team. In particular, the disappointing draws against Lesotho and Zimbabwe highlighted the disconnect between the midfield and the attack with the Super Eagles unable to fully utilise their quality in the final third.
A positive showing at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations suggested Nigeria were on the right path under Jose Peseiro, but his departure following such a dismal start to World Cup qualifying was inevitable. It was at this point that Chelle was hired as the first non-Nigerian African coach of the Super Eagles to turn things around.
Chelle has done more to unlock Nigeria’s attacking potential. He has fielded Akor Adams alongside Osimhen in a front two. He has deployed Alex Iwobi and Tolu Arokodare as fluid forwards around the Galatasaray frontman to give the Super Eagles more cohesion in between the lines.
Ademola Lookman has been played on the left wing, but also in a deeper role where he has the freedom to pick up the ball in the centre of the pitch and drive it forward. While Peseiro struggled to fit his best players into the same lineup, Chelle has instead focused on forging a stronger team unit.
“There are at least 25 players who could start across the frontline; more than a full team,” said Chelle who also has the 2025 AFCON later this year to plan for. “We manage it carefully. We’ve built a player-tracking system, monitoring around 80 players weekly. Selection is based on three criteria – club activity, performance, and tactical fit. Sometimes tactics take precedence.”
A run of three wins from four games which included a credible draw away to group winners South Africa got Nigeria’s World Cup qualification hopes back on track. The Super Eagles would have qualified automatically had they found a way to overcome Bafana Bafana in September, but they gave themselves too much to do after such a poor start.
Gabon will be difficult opponents on Thursday. The Panthers are aiming to qualify for their first World Cup and have lost two of their last 11 competitive fixtures with both losses coming against a Morocco outfit widely considered the strongest in African football right now. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and co. will be a threat.
The expansion of the World Cup to 48 teams handed a further four direct qualification spots to CAF. This was a suitable reward for a confederation that had previously been under-represented at the top of international football, but CAF’s strength means a number of talented teams will miss out on a place at the 2026 tournament.
Only one of Cameroon, DR Congo, Gabon or Nigeria will advance to the inter-continental playoff where two further victories are required to make the World Cup. Even if all goes to plan, the Super Eagles are still four games away from making amends for their last qualification failure.
Fortunately for Nigeria, they look to have found form at the right time. Osimhen is currently at the peak of his powers and Chelle has demonstrated the sort of adaptability needed to get the best out of the Super Eagles’ best performers. There’s still some work to do, but Nigeria are on their way to becoming a formidable force again.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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