2026 WCQ: Ekong hails team spirit as Nigeria seal CAF Play-offs spot
Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has expressed delight after Nigeria secured a place in the CAF play-offs for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, to be staged in Morocco next month.
The Super Eagles produced their best performance of the qualifying campaign with a commanding 4-0 victory over Benin Republic in Uyo on Tuesday.
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The result confirmed Nigeria’s place in the continental play-off tournament, which precedes the Intercontinental Play-offs set for Mexico in March 2026.
“We are quite happy to have that opportunity. It’s a long route, but it’s a route nonetheless,” Troost-Ekong said after the match.
“We would have loved to get the automatic ticket, but it didn’t happen, so we take what we have. We’ll stay strong, tough, and ready to confront every challenge on our way to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.”
Reflecting on the team’s performance, the PAOK defender praised the collective effort that delivered Nigeria’s emphatic win.
“It was a wonderful team effort on Tuesday evening. Everyone contributed; each person played their part. If the other match had gone our way, we would already have the automatic ticket. But that’s football, you take what you get and make the best of it.”
Nigeria will now face Gabon in the CAF Play-off semi-finals on November 13, 2025, while Cameroon battle the Democratic Republic of Congo the following day.
The winners of both ties will meet in the final on November 16, with the victor advancing to the Intercontinental Play-offs in Mexico next March.
At the Intercontinental stage, six teams, Africa’s representative, Bolivia, New Caledonia, the Asian play-off winner (Iraq or UAE), and two sides from Central America (Jamaica, Costa Rica, or Panama), will compete for two available slots at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
