Residents of Uyo, capital of Akwa Ibom, have expressed confidence that Nigeria’s Super Eagles will defeat the Warriors of Zimbabwe in Tuesday’s Group C 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier.
The matchday 6, World Cup qualifying tie will take place inside the Godswill Akpabio Stadium.
This will be the Super Eagles third game in the venue in the qualifiers and they would be looking for their first home win after failing to beat Lesotho (1-1) and South Africa (1-1).
A brace from Victor Osimhen earned Eric Chelle’s men a 2-0 win against Rwanda in Kigali, which was their first after five qualifying matches.
The win against the Amavubi took the three-time Africa Cup of Nations winners from fifth to fourth place on six points.
Zimbabwe would be searching for their first win of the qualifiers after recording three draws and two defeats and currently occupy bottom in the group on three points.
Ahead of Tuesday’s encounter, Completesports.com’s James Agberebi, who is in Uyo, spoke with some of the residents who are full of confidence in the Super Eagles recording another win.
According to the former president of the Sports Writers Association ot Nigeria (SWAN), Akwa Ibom chapter, Uwem Ekoh, the Super Eagles will end their winless run at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in the World Cup qualifiers when they face Zimbabwe.
“I would believe that they would come with a different mentality and the spirit they put in against Rwanda and also I want to believe they would want to end the winless run of the past two games in Uyo. So they should pull off the idea of what happened in the last two home games should not repeat itself because it is a must win match against Zimbabwe.
“Friday’s result would propel the players to do well considering the fact that a lot things are at stake for instance should we, God forbid, draw with Zimbabwe it means we are not going anywhere. It is a must win match for the Super Eagles on Tuesday and we should know that it’s a new coach, with new philosophy and I saw the match against Rwanda and I saw commitment on the pitch. The players exhibited their best and we got the result. I remember telling someone that Victor Osimhen is the best finisher and hopefully he will overtake the record of late Rashidi Yekini.
“So we are going to win but it’s going to be a tough match no doubt and if I have my way I will encourage them to do their best better than what we saw against Rwanda so that we can get additional three points because the main thing is for us to win our remaining matches and hope South Africa drop points.”
Tony Edet, a maintenance officer inside the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, said the win against Rwanda is what is giving him the believe that the Super Eagles will triumph over Zimbabwe.
“Following what they played on Friday and the team spirit which is so high, I believe they will come out victorious and more points would be added to their tally.
Edet played down talks of the players being complacent because they will be playing at home.
“Looking at the present Super Eagles, they have a new coach, Victor Osimhen is back and also some key players are back so it’s not going to be business as usual, it’s going to be a very serious game. I don’t think after winning away they will now come to Uyo and feel relax, no, I believe they will put in the same effort and I believe at the end of the day they will carry the day.
He mentioned South Africa’s Bafana Bafana as the team that would challenge the Super Eagles for the automatic qualification ticket.
“South Africa is looking like the team that can pose serious challenge for the Super Eagles because they are topping the group. But if they drop points I believe the Super Eagles will scale through.”
In a chat with another resident simply known as Uncle White, a staff of Julius Berger, he stated that the Super Eagles players know the importance of playing at the World Cup, so they would be motivated to go all out against Zimbabwe.
“The game against Rwanda was a good one, the match went as expected and the players surpassed our expectations. They played really well and everything went on well.
“Definitely, the players know what is at stake, each and every one of them are all professionals, they want to be at the World Cup so they know the importance of playing in the World Cup so they will do well, there is no escape route for Zimbabwe.”
He praised Victor Osimhen for scoring the two goals that secured the win against Rwanda, but posited that other players can also perform even without Osimhen because it is a new coaching crew.
“Victor Osimhen is a good player but I think without him we can still do it because it’s a new era for the team, a new technical crew, there is more bite in the team compared to the previous coaches, so I believe we have capable hands. Assuming he is injured wouldn’t we win our remaining matches?”
He urged the team to keep winning their own matches and hopefully other teams would drop points.
“The Super Eagles should just keep winning their own games and let’s hope something else will happen in other games which will benefit us. So the best thing is for the Eagles to be winning their own games and live the rest for God.”
Also Read: 2026 WCQ: Super Eagles To Train Behind Closed Doors For Zimbabwe Clash
Christian Asuquo who is into fish business, expressed the same optimism, saying the quality players paraded by Eagles will give them victory.
“I am confident that the Super Eagles will win based on the fact that if a team parade good players surely they will win. If you look at the Super Eagles team we have good players like Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman and William Troost-Ekong who is from my state.
“So when you have these kind of quality players it will guarantee victory just like what we saw against Rwanda on Friday.
“Though they are yet to win any game in the World Cup qualifiers I believe this time around things will be different, I believe they will win this time when they face Zimbabwe.”
A barber, Ferdinand Chizaram, said he cannot wait to watch the Eagles win come Tuesday, while relying on Osimhen to be on the score sheet again.
“I was very much excited when they defeated Rwanda after failing to win their four previous matches so now that they will be playing at home I expect them to win and I will be excited to see them win. I can’t wait to watch them win on Tuesday against Zimbabwe, I’m expecting much from them.
“I always expect Victor Osimhen to perform because he is my best player. Whenever I see him in the field I expect much from him and I know he will deliver his best on Tuesday, so I’m expecting goals from him.”
He added that the present position of the team (fourth) does not scare him.
“Despite the fact that they are currently in fourth place I just have this confidence that they will qualify.”
Also talking tough ahead of the big clash in Uyo is Emmanuel Ubong commercial tricycle driver.
“Hopefully they will get another win after the one they got against Rwanda on Friday, I was very happy especially after they failed to win in previous matches.
“Though they will be playing at home but it’s not going to be easy because many African teams are doing well now. But hopefully with the kind of players we have and the importance of the game they will win because it is the World Cup we are talking about remember we didn’t qualify for the last one in Qatar.”
