W’Cup Qualifier Playoffs: Super Eagles Ready For DR Congo Challenge

A place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament is on the line as Nigeria’s Super Eagles prepared to face the Democratic Republic of Congo in the final of the Africa qualifying playoff this Sunday night.

Captain William Ekong acknowledged the difficulty of the task, stating, “There is no doubt that the Congolese will be a big challenge. They got here because they are tough and ambitious.” He described the Leopards as “a mountain to climb.”

However, Ekong expressed confidence in his team’s hunger, pointing to the overwhelming majority of players in the squad who have never experienced a World Cup.

“We have a large group of players here, 24 of them, out of which only about four of us have been to the World Cup. There is that adrenalin flowing in their system to go to the World Cup and I see it as a big motivation for us to conquer on Sunday.”

With only Ekong, Alex Iwobi, Wilfred Ndidi, and Chidozie Awaziem having played at Russia 2018, the Super Eagles were banking on the desire of their less-experienced teammates to secure a victory at the Complexe Sportif Prince Moulay El Hassan in Rabat and keep their World Cup dreams alive.