African Football Discussion Thread Current Topic: 👉 AFCON 2025/2026

[Africolo]

The first hurdle for the Super Eagles will be Gabon, and we have to maintain hopes that maybe they can show the same level of seriousness that they showed in the game against Benin to win that game and be ready to face the winner between Cameroon and DR Congo.

I feel the winner of the the game between Cameroon and DR Congo will be Cameroon, so Nigeria has to be ready to play Cameroon who are a formidable opponent than most of the teams we have faced in this qualifiers that is hoping we beat Gabon.

With same level of commitment, maybe we will make it through.

Nigeria and Cameroon shouldn't have been in this situation in this first place they both don't belong in this kind of playoff with the players they have in their squad. Such a shame.

The winner from this playoff will still face the other continental playoff winners and then the best 4 will qualify to the World Cup. This is even tougher than the group phase games. 

[CryptSafe]

Nigeria super eagles should not be too over confident due to their fine performance against Benin because Nigeria super eagles always tends to be overconfident and fumble when results were needed badly from them.There are two stages in the playoffs round first they will meet Gabon and if they get over them they will meet another teams from other teams.so the super eagles should concentrate and take this games seriously.

What you have said is true, this is the same over confidence that made them played nonsense and lost matches to teams that are walkover for them. They were so over confident because of their squad and undermined their opponents thinking it would be an easy score for them but it because obvious that they were losing matches and most ending in draw which wasn't making any sense. So far, the best performance they've had so far since the beginning of this qualifiers is the home match with Benin Republic and to be frank I wish they could keep up with that performance till the qualifiers is over.

[Sandra_hakeem]

Osimhen did what he did yesterday to prove them wrong. They had every reason to sign him a better contract, since he refused the Saudis, but they just figured they couldn't handle too much of him, which is what we're seeing today.
Scoring a hatrick in a crucial game like that is one of most decorative ways to promote oneself in football, and that has been recorded in his name.

I'm not expecting big teams to start rushing out for him (since they didn't even do it at first) but he's going to get a better at the end of the day, if he wants.

[Africolo]

What you have said is true, this is the same over confidence that made them played nonsense and lost matches to teams that are walkover for them. They were so over confident because of their squad and undermined their opponents thinking it would be an easy score for them but it because obvious that they were losing matches and most ending in draw which wasn't making any sense. So far, the best performance they've had so far since the beginning of this qualifiers is the home match with Benin Republic and to be frank I wish they could keep up with that performance till the qualifiers is over.

If they had sacked the former coach earlier we would have qualified without all this; the coach drew so many easy games and didn't even win to to 3 games, we went from top to bottom with him. This new coach hasn't lost a single game in 6 games since he took over, 2 draw and 6 wins.

The only team that could give us problems is Cameroon but I don't think the current Cameroon team are any better than us anyway.

Osimhen did what he did yesterday to prove them wrong.

He should prove us wrong by taking us the World Cup first then will talk.

[Adbitco]

It's official, CAF has made the draws for the playoffs and it's going to be held in Morocco where the 4 play off teams will face each other in two rounds which is the semi final and the final. Nigeria Vs Gabon and D.R Congo Vs Cameroon and the winners will face each other in the final to determine who will represent Africa in the inter-confederations playoffs. Gabon has been a very good side during the qualifiers and they will pose a serious threat against the Super Eagles of Nigeria.

[Sandra_hakeem]

Osimhen did what he did yesterday to prove them wrong.

He should prove us wrong by taking us the World Cup first then will talk.

What do you mean "taking us the world cup"? Like, are you really talking about him winning us the world cup or what? Or were you referring to qualifying for the competition in the first place?
If you think, with the current squad in countries like Spain, Italy, Germany, Argentina, France (especially), England etc, that we can somehow bypass their impact and supersede their performances in this coming competition, then you obviously believed every fairytale you were told from the old times.

I'm not trying to prove a point; all I'm saying is that the best we can expect from those players is to qualify. That doesn't mean we underrate/ we don't support their talents.

[Ale88]

Osimhen did what he did yesterday to prove them wrong.

He should prove us wrong by taking us the World Cup first then will talk.

What do you mean "taking us the world cup"? Like, are you really talking about him winning us the world cup or what? Or were you referring to qualifying for the competition in the first place?
If you think, with the current squad in countries like Spain, Italy, Germany, Argentina, France (especially), England etc, that we can somehow bypass their impact and supersede their performances in this coming competition, then you obviously believed every fairytale you were told from the old times.

I'm not trying to prove a point; all I'm saying is that the best we can expect from those players is to qualify. That doesn't mean we underrate/ we don't support their talents.

I think he probably forgot a "to", so he wanted to say "taking us TO the World Cup", it's the only logical explanation because right now it's very hard to imagine an African team winning the World Cup. Morocco did a miracle back in 2022, will they be able to do it again? The chances are low.

[Nightwatchmare]

Are we all not tired yet of all these unending calculations the Super Eagles have subjected we all to, because am sick and tired of how the giant of Africa and the team with some of the best performing players playing in Europe clubs would be downgraded to struggling to qualify in the WC qualifiers. Tonight against Benin, they played with beast performance but sadly such outstanding performance was coming late only landing them to playoffs. Now what's next?

I am fucking tired of all these calculations, but because we want to see the super eagles play in the world cup, we are going to keep calculating to know how possible it is for the super eagles to qualify for the world cup. We found ourselves in this condition because Victor Osimhen didn't feature in the super eagles 10 qualifying matches. The next thing for the super eagles is to play in the playoffs. I saw a different super eagles against Benin, and if they maintain the same performance in the playoffs, we can qualify for the world cup through the playoffs.

The super eagles out performed themselves yesterday compared to most of their previous matches, at first Benin republic seemed unbeatable for the super eagles but coordinated player performance with Osimhen starting his scoring streak very early in the match served as a discouragement to the opposing team, they just seemed stunned, unable to put their own team in order against the super eagles which was ultimately what paved the way for Osimhen to score his other two goals and for Onyeka to be able to net the final goal, if they keep up with this kind of player performance then the playoffs won't be too much of a stress for them and qualifying for the World cup would be a breeze.

The previous performance of the super eagles in the world cup qualifying matches made it look like Benin Republic wasn't unbeaten, and many Nigerians didn't believe the super eagles could defeat Benin Republic easily from home, but the super eagles good performance helped them to neutralise and dismantle Benin Republic in the first half. Qualifying for the world cup through the playoffs isn't an easy work, and let the super eagles result against Benin Republic not deceive us to believe that the super eagles is the favourite in the playoffs, because we have teams that are eager to qualify for the world cup through the playoffs, but that doesn't limit the super eagles from qualifying for the world cup. If the super eagles can coordinate themselves and play the way they did against Benin republic qualifying for the world cup through the playoffs can be achievable for them.

[Lida93]

Snip.

I have not been a party to discussions about the Africa football but osimeh touched my heart with his performance today and I was clued to just him in my screen and in today’s match, he labored for everything he played today and he took today’s game very serious and truly his an agba baller which means, he truly plays well.
I do not want to totally give up our country yet and I’m not even bothered about us qualifying for the WC, I am concerned on what’s next after now, I mean after qualifying what’s next ?

The arguments are that Victor Osimhen's injury that made him away for  4 games in the qualifiers for the Super Eagles was part of what impeded the team from gaining some of the points they ought to have gained in those games they were having a draw. And I solemnly agree with the argument by just watching how Osimhen performed against Benin, scoring a hattrick and giving Nigeria a chance at the playoffs.

Are you asking about the playoffs or of our World Cup qualification stands. Please make your question clear.

[Barikui1]

The arguments are that Victor Osimhen's injury that made him away for  4 games in the qualifiers for the Super Eagles was part of what impeded the team from gaining some of the points they ought to have gained in those games they were having a draw. And I solemnly agree with the argument by just watching how Osimhen performed against Benin, scoring a hattrick and giving Nigeria a chance at the playoffs.

It's true that no team will miss the services of a top striker like victor osimhen and wouldn't feel his absence, but those games that we drew are winnable games, so the absence of victor osimhen in those games is not an excuse to get only two points in a possible of twelve, that's too bad for a top level team like our super eagles regardless of if victor osimhen is available or not,. We have other top players in our team who can single handedly win us games aside victor osimhen, so they should not use it as an excuse for the incompetence of finidi George while coaching our super eagles, I just hope that we can go all the way in this play off  so that our efforts wouldn't be in vain.

[Oluwa-btc]

Nigeria and Cameroon shouldn't have been in this situation in this first place they both don't belong in this kind of playoff with the players they have in their squad. Such a shame.

The winner from this playoff will still face the other continental playoff winners and then the best 4 will qualify to the World Cup. This is even tougher than the group phase games. 

Ooh, thanks to the five draw games they had, I'm of the opinion that they don't deserve to be in this play off but thanks to whatever policy who made it possible for that Etrian nation to axed out completely. Should we also be saying thanks to fifa? Making it possible for Nigeria to qualify? Btw,.this play off I must admit will be more difficult and intensed that the normal qualifiers. Hard way they said, is the only way forward?!

[Fiatless]

No, Nigeria is going to play against Gabon because they’re the least runner up after compiling their points at the end of the group stage games. According to FIFA, the team on the first position as best runner up will play against the team on fourth position on best runner up. The second best runner up team will now play against the third best runner up team. This is how the format will be in the semifinals and the final two teams will play to pick out one team to go for the inter-confederation playoffs which consist of six teams again from five continents.

You are slightly far from the truth, bro. The position or points of nations in the World Cup qualifiers will not be used for the determination of opponents. Rather, FIFA rankings will be adopted.

How Teams 1 to 4 are determined
Teams 1, 2, 3 and 4 will be determined according to the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking published on 23 October.

Team 1: the highest ranked team in the FIFA ranking.
Team 2: the second highest ranked team in the FIFA ranking.
Team 3: the third highest ranked team in the FIFA ranking.
Team 4: the less ranked team in the FIFA ranking.

 
Source: FIFA.com

Nigeria is currently ranked 45th in the world, Cameroon 52nd, Congo DR 60th and Gabon 79th. So it is obvious that Nigeria will battle Gabon because the next FIFA ranking that will be used might not have any significant difference.

[Rabata]

The arguments are that Victor Osimhen's injury that made him away for  4 games in the qualifiers for the Super Eagles was part of what impeded the team from gaining some of the points they ought to have gained in those games they were having a draw. And I solemnly agree with the argument by just watching how Osimhen performed against Benin, scoring a hattrick and giving Nigeria a chance at the playoffs.

It was easy to guess that Nigeria was weak in Osimhen's absence because the team has not done well four matches. When a team has a good striker injured, the players of that team also lack confidence which weakens the players and on the other hand, it instills confidence in the players of the opposing team which is why the team can easily win the match. If Osimhen is on the field, the players of Benin's team are a little weaker which is a big positive side for the team. That victory of the last match was very important as it gives them a chance to play in the play-offs of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

[Jostern]

Osimhen did what he did yesterday to prove them wrong. They had every reason to sign him a better contract, since he refused the Saudis, but they just figured they couldn't handle too much of him, which is what we're seeing today.
Scoring a hatrick in a crucial game like that is one of most decorative ways to promote oneself in football, and that has been recorded in his name.

I'm not expecting big teams to start rushing out for him (since they didn't even do it at first) but he's going to get a better at the end of the day, if he wants.

What is the essence of proving them wrong when the damage have already been done, and the question is since he scored a hat trick is Super Eagles now in the World Cup, I have been saying this here and I’m going to continue say it, I’m not impressed with Osimhen performance, if he has done better as a big player that he claims to be, The Super Eagles wouldn’t find themselves in this ridiculous situation, and into a playoff spot that is weird to everyone, especially playing against a Garbon team that is good and prolific.

And they also have Cameroon in the mix of this debacle, let’s all be honest to ourselves, Osimhen didn’t live up to expectations in this qualifying series, and he was busy making trouble with Finidi George the previous coach, this was how all this disappointment started.

[Zigabel]

Are we all not tired yet of all these unending calculations the Super Eagles have subjected we all to, because am sick and tired of how the giant of Africa and the team with some of the best performing players playing in Europe clubs would be downgraded to struggling to qualify in the WC qualifiers. Tonight against Benin, they played with beast performance but sadly such outstanding performance was coming late only landing them to playoffs. Now what's next?

I wished the super Eagles didn't have to go trough this rout in Oder for them to qualify for the World Cup but at this point its almost quiet unfortunate that this is the only route they have got since they have not been able to qualify through the qualification rounds, btw, all thanks to osimhen for his timely intervention as I'm hoping they don't mess up this chance at the play off. The performance we saw against Benin, we are expecting to see same through the play off and for the eagles to finally secure a spot at the World Cup by next year.

[Callido]

The winner from this playoff will still face the other continental playoff winners and then the best 4 will qualify to the World Cup. This is even tougher than the group phase games. 

This is how the format will be for Nigeria to qualify, after the play off among the four best losers to be played at Morocco, the winner goes further to play six teams Intercontinental playoff which two groups will be shared and the both winners from each group joins to qualify for the World Cup, it is two teams not four teams after six team playoffs that goes on to join others in the World Cup.

Our hope is brought back, this is Nigerian trusting the squad once again, i hope this time around they don't fail us with inconsistency after what we witnessed in their last game. We still have a chance to qualify.

[Mayor of ogba]

I also thought that it was two teams that would qualify in each group of the World Cup qualifier, but when the Super Eagles were in a difficult situation, I did some research and I found out it was only one team that would qualify to the World Cup in each group. The teams in the continental playoff are tough teams, and we shouldn't underestimate the teams because they all have what it takes to win the continental playoff.

I was sure that Nigeria would win against Benin. Although Benin was at the top of the table, this squad is not very strong. Benin has  not performed well against nigeria in  the previous head-to-head matches.

But Nigeria will secure a 4 - 0 victory, this was an unimaginable result. We have not seen Nigeria win by such a big margin in the previous matches. But this  match was a do or die match for Nigeria. So the Nigerian players tried their best  to win by a big margin. And they succeeded.

We saw the great performance of nigeria's star player osimhen on this field. Osimhen was able to score a hat-trick. Also Samuel Chukweze and Moses Simon made two assists each.

I also checked the head-to-head of Nigeria and Benin before their encounter because I was curious to know if Nigeria have a chance of defeating Benin to qualify for the World Cup if eventually South Africa lost or drew, and I found out Nigeria had a better head-to-head over Benin, but because Benin was at the top of group C, I didn't believe Nigeria would defeat Benin. I can't really say how Nigeria was able to outclass Benin and defeat Benin 4:0. Even though the win didn't guarantee us a place in the World cup, I am happy it gave us the opportunity to qualify for a playoff.

[Fiatless]

This is how the format will be for Nigeria to qualify, after the play off among the four best losers to be played at Morocco, the winner goes further to play six teams Intercontinental playoff which two groups will be shared and the both winners from each group joins to qualify for the World Cup, it is two teams not four teams after six team playoffs that goes on to join others in the World Cup.

Any team that successfully goes through this process and qualifies will be very strong at the World Cup. My position is based on the fact that they will play close to five competitive matches before the World Cup. So the players will have understood each other because they are playing more games. The clubs these players play for will not be happy since it extends the absence of the players and also exposes them to injuries.   

[SatoPrincess]

 This is really the situation Nigeria is in right now and this begs the question that has already being asked several times; why must Nigeria always wait or rely on other nations to help them qualify. As it is they will play so poorly and later on start relying on others. For the case of South Africa, if those three points hadn't been deducted, that means they would have automatically qualified.

It is really frustrating sometimes that as giant of Africa we have to struggle and have our hopes fixed on the failure of other teams for us to earn qualification to tournaments that other weaker teams earn easily. It is obvious the players don’t get serious until when it is dawned on them that they are on the verge of elimination which is very bad and embarrassing.

[Callido]

Any team that successfully goes through this process and qualifies will be very strong at the World Cup. My position is based on the fact that they will play close to five competitive matches before the World Cup. So the players will have understood each other because they are playing more games. The clubs these players play for will not be happy since it extends the absence of the players and also exposes them to injuries.   

With the change of formation and starting lineups, i think we are now ready to compete in the highest level, i won't totally judge based only just on our latest performance but i watched and saw how eager the players were to reconnect which happened to change our faith, they won't blow it up so easily after getting to this level. In the best losers playoffs, with our performance we are favorites to make it with the highest point in order to move into Intercontinental playoffs, that could be our one step forward into the World Cup.