William Troost-Ekong has said the Super Eagles can’t afford to lose against South Africa in their next 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying fixture.
The Super Eagles have endured a poor start to the qualifiers with two draws against minnows Lesotho and Zimbabwe.
The West Africans will entertain Bafana Bafana in a matchday three encounter at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo on Friday, June 7.
Troost-Ekong stated that they must win the game to boost their chances of making it to the World Cup.
“Very important game. We all know we want to be in the 2026 World Cup,” Troost-Ekong said on Arise TV.
“Coach Finidi is coming now, has been appointed which I think everyone’s very happy about – someone who understands Nigerian football. He’s been our assistant coach and deserved this shot now to be the head coach.”
Troost- Ekong recently returned to training after undergoing surgery in February for an injury he sustained at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
“I’m back fit now since two weeks but just missing some match fitness. I have personally been working on trying to get fit to give the coach the possibility to have me there,” he added.
“Regarding the team, I will be there in Uyo as well when they arrive. Some of the players are coming to support the charity game and I’ll try and hang around for the match to try and give them moral support, and try and do my best to share some of my experiences with some of the younger players.
“These are definitely key games against South Africa and Benin for us to get a ticket towards the World Cup in 2026.”
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