Super Eagles Can Compete With Any Team, Says Onuachu

Super Eagles striker Paul Onuachu has expressed confidence in Nigeria’s ability to compete with and defeat any national team, despite the country’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The towering forward made the remarks ahead of Nigeria’s international friendly against Poland in Warsaw on Thursday night.

The Super Eagles are also scheduled to face Portugal in another high-profile friendly next Wednesday in Lierra as head coach Eric Chelle continues preparations for future international competitions.

Nigeria head into the matches in high spirits after successfully defending their Unity Cup title last weekend, a feat that further underlined the progress made under Chelle since his appointment.

Onuachu believes the current squad possesses the talent and quality required to challenge the world’s leading football nations.

“We have the quality to play against any team in the world and hopefully we are going to show it against Poland and Portugal,” Onuachu told the Super Eagles media team.

The former Genk striker, however, admitted that missing out on the World Cup remains a major disappointment for both players and supporters.

“Sadly, we are not going to the World Cup because we have world-class players, but that’s football,” he added.

Nigeria’s failure to secure qualification for the global tournament came as a significant setback, but recent performances have provided encouragement that the team is moving in the right direction.

The upcoming friendlies are expected to offer another opportunity for Chelle to assess his squad against top European opposition while building momentum for future competitions.