Nigeria’s Super Eagles will take on Gabon in the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying playoffs.
The game will take place on Thursday, 13 November, 2025 in Morocco.
Gabon (25 points) placed second behind AFCON champions Côte d’Ivoire (26 points) in Group F.
If the Super Eagles defeat Gabon, they will face the winner of the second semi-final between Cameroon and Democratic Republic of Congo in the final on Sunday, 16 November.
The team that win in the final will represent Africa at the Intercontinental playoffs billed for March 2026 in North America, reportedly at two venues in Mexico.
The Super Eagles sealed their place in the playoffs after finishing as one of the four second best placed teams.
Also Read: Udeze: Super Eagles Must Utilise Playoff To Qualify For 2026 World Cup
Going into their final Group C matchday 10 encounter with Benin Republic on Tuesday in Uyo, the Super Eagles needed to win by a wide margin to stand a chance of making it to the playoffs.
The race to make it to the playoffs became important for Eric Chelle’s men after they lost Group C top spot to South Africa’s Bafana Bafana who hammered Rwanda 3-0 to make a first World Cup appearance since 2010.
A hat-trick from Victor Osimhen and a stoppage time strike by Frank Onyeka secured a comfortable 4-0 win against Benin Republic.
The play-off tournament involving six teams – one each from Asia, CAF, CONMEBOL, and Oceania and two from CONCACAF – will be held to decide the last two FIFA World Cup berths.
The bottom four teams in the FIFA World Rankings will be drawn into two single-elimination matches.
The winners of those matches will advance to play the top two teams in two single-elimination matches, and the winners will qualify for the World Cup.
By James Agberebi
10 Comments
Chelle has done really well in terms of building the team and incorporating new players into the team. Pasero struggled to discover why SE where always conceding cheap goals but couldn’t. He resorted to playing a 532.. But chelle came and has now given us a stable defense.. scoring goals without conceding. He gave benjamin his debut in world qualifying match which many coaches will not dare try. So in conclusion whether we eventually qualify through playoff or not The NNF must retain him and give him a longer contract.. With Eric chelle ,. SE will do great…
25 points out of 30 should have won every other group. But it could only give Gabon playoff spot.
22 goals for is massive also, 9 conceded is close to Nigeria’s 8 conceded.
Gabon firepower is terrific.
Cameroon with 19 points and DRC with 22 points means Nigeria accumulated the fewest points among the four teams for the playoffs.
What does it mean? The next 5 to 7 matches for our players in the various leagues and cups, we should be praying, our core players need to keep fit.
Since we don’t have a replacement for Nwabali who is on a yellow card (I don’t know if it will be brought forward), he should also be humble and stay sharp.
Next time (although many of the current players might not be “active for call-ups in 2028 qualifiers for 2030 edition), Nigeria will know that from match day 1, every point counts in qualification.
Nice observations and analysis @Sly. However, note also that Cote D’ivoire, who won Gabon’s group didn’t concede a single goal throughout the qualifiers, which is quite a record. Hopefully, our defense can also contain Gabon like CIV.
Secondly, I must say that compared to other groups, Group C (our group) had the strongest bottom team – Zimbabwe. Even Lesotho surprised me. Imagine bottom teams in the other groups like Somalia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Eswatini, Djibouti, and Seychelles, which Gabon scored a massive 7 goals aggregate against with maximum 6 points.
So, yes, we have the least points of the 4 playoff spots, but we’re the most battle-hardened and prepared, plus the highest ranked. I really pray though that our top players, especially Osimhen, are injury-free by November 13.
Thankfully, we just need to win a total of 3 games to qualify for the WC. 2 in Morocco and 1 in Mexico. If we played like yesterday, that’s a foregone conclusion.
Thumbs up brother man @ Kels. U said it all. Heaven bless you.
I cannot really say with any sort of certainty how the playoffs will play out for the Super Eagles. What is sure is this, if they play with the same level of concentration, professionalism, and attention-to-detail like we saw against Benin, they will be a thorn in the flesh of playoff opponents .
The Super Eagles had a game plan against Benin and they stuck to it like glue.
Coach Gernot Rohr was well aware of the weaknesses of the Super Eagles. Conversely, that knowledge was used to roast him in the flames of humiliation.
Chukwueze likes to dribble, he holds on to the ball like a lover, Rohr knew that. However, Chukwueze treated the ball like a jilted lover last night, releasing it quickly for two quick Osihmen goals, subverting expectations, putting dagger in the heart of his former national team coach.
The Super Eagles are vulnerable in set pieces, Rohr told his boys, yet Stanley Nwabali stood up to be counted in each corner kick, dumbfounding Rohr.
The Super Eagles lose concentration easily, after all, this was the same team that, under the same Rohr, blew away a 4 goals lead against Sierra Leone. Chukwueze, Iwobi and Osihmen, all scorers of those 4 goals against Sierra Leone,yesterday showed Rohr that they were different beasts on this night. Sierra Leone came back, Benin was soundly humbled.
Moses Simon is spent, Rohr must have told his boys. Can anything good still come out of Moses Simon’s Israel, Rohr must have asked, disparagingly. Simon answed emphatically, gouging out the eyes of Rohr’s expectations with 2 peerless assists.
Rohr came to steal the show, but the Super Eagles crashed the party, putting 4 unrequited goals past their once reverred gaffer, powering their way to the World Cup play-offs and proving that, when push comes to shove, that Nigeria Spirit, dormant throughout this campaign, will come good!
Well done Super Eagles.
Congratulations everyone .
We didn’t qualify for the World Cup, not yet, but half bread is better than none, this is one loaf that will at least sustain me until November’s play-offs!
Lmao..I don’t know what’s all the noise about?
Hahahaha That a 6th placed African ranked team(Nigeria) with high profile names… With so much depth..And an all European based players playing in some of the biggest league defeated an average 20th ranked team (Benin Republic) with two key players missing…lmao
No like what’s really the noise about….
Lmao An established super eagles team that even if you give my secondary school games prefect then to coach he will still defeat benin republic
Omo some of you have inferiority complex issues honestly….
@MonkeyMan, leave this matter. Drop hatred, now support your country.
With Nigeria’s current ranking on FIFA’s table, I think we will have technically 3 matches to play to get to the world cup. 2 games at the Africa qualifying round in November and one more game at the intercontinental qualification round in March.
@monkey post deep down in your heart I know you dance more than anyone else on this forum yesytfay night.
I know you well, in a situation where nff, 95% of fance including had given up something still came out.
Positive thing is the play off will server also as preparation to the afcon, likewise if will make it out of Africa the interconental play off will serve as prep for world cup if we eventually qualify.
This team will be busy, any player that drop form will be discover and remove. My prayer now is for continuity, no more Boniface, no more awoniyi, no more desser, no more Saudiq, no more onuachu, no more Yusuf, etc….
Ejuke needs to be brought back am having feeling that chelle will know how best to deploy him. Even kelechi should stay put in Scotland for now. We need players with fighting spirit till end to prosecute this play off.
@Wike, Ejuke is wonderful..