Nigeria’s Super Eagles returned to the training ground yesterday evening, as their focus shifts firmly to today’s 2026 FIFA World Cup Africa playoff semi-final clash with the Panthers of Gabon.
The pay dispute that disrupted Tuesday’s training session has been resolved, and the players are now eager to secure a place in Sunday’s final by overcoming the Gabonese side.
The three-time African champions trained yesterday at the Institut Royal de Formation Des Cadres in Salé, just outside Rabat.
Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, President of the Nigeria Football Federation, expressed confidence that the team will deliver today.
“We believe in the players and their ability to make Nigeria proud, not only on Thursday but throughout these playoffs. We have a team capable of earning a World Cup ticket.”
Former Nigeria international and coach, now NFF Technical Director, Augustine Eguavoen, remarked:
“These boys that I know, that I have worked with, want to go to the FIFA World Cup. The aspiration of every professional footballer is to play at the World Cup and enhance their market value.
“The timing of the strike was unfortunate. They may have had their reasons, but the timing was not ideal. Nevertheless, I have faith in them to rise to the occasion and perform on Thursday, and afterwards, on Sunday.”
Today’s high-stakes encounter at the Complexe Sportif Prince Héritier Moulay Al Hassan in Rabat, starting at 5pm, will be the tenth meeting between the senior men’s national teams of Nigeria and Gabon. Nigeria has won five of the previous nine matches, with three drawn.
Gabon has only one victory—a 2-1 win during a 1990 FIFA World Cup qualifying match in Libreville.
Today, forwards Victor Osimhen (Nigeria) and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will be the centre of attention, as two of the deadliest strikers in world football (Aubameyang scored all four of Gabon’s goals in an away game against Gambia in the qualifying series, while Osimhen netted two away to Rwanda and three at home against Bénin Republic) lead their teams’ pursuit of a FIFA World Cup ticket.
