Nigeria's Super Eagles go into their final match window of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying group stage promising to fight to the end as they hope to take advantage of any slip-up by South Africa and Benin. But their bullish attitude has not yet panned out on the pitch, and the three-time African champions need more than words.
Forward Terem Moffi believes the Super Eagles will qualify for the World Cup, saying "we are really confident things will go our way" in a video published by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). But it is uncertain where he derives that confidence given the team's abysmal play and disastrous results in this qualifying campaign, especially with their fate no longer in their own hands. The Super Eagles need both South Africa and Benin to drop points to open the door for a Nigerian miracle.
Group C's top four teams each have a chance of claiming the sole ticket to the World Cup, if they can win their final two games, although Bafana Bafana are best placed with both their fixtures being played in South Africa. South Africa face neighbours Zimbabwe, who are bottom of the group with no hope of qualifying, before hosting Rwanda in their final qualifier.
For the Super Eagles, a win against Lesotho on Friday is all but non-negotiable before they host group leaders Benin in Uyo on Tuesday.
Captain William Troost-Ekong is optimistic the team's belief and fight will carry them through.
"We are always going to fight till the end," he said in an NFF-released video. "We believe. We never stop believing. We have two important games now; Friday the first one, and after that we get back to Nigeria. But we will focus now on Lesotho."
Few Nigerians share that confidence, however, even after the Super Eagles were handed a lifeline when South Africa were docked three points and three goals by FIFA for fielding the ineligible Teboho Mokoena in their 2-0 win over Lesotho in March.
Eritrea's withdrawal from qualifying opened the door further for the Super Eagles, allowing them the potential opportunity to qualify for the continental playoffs. Eritrea's withdrawal means teams vying for second place in the other groups will lose their points won against the bottom teams; Nigeria will lose only two points.
Fulham defender Calvin Bassey says the Super Eagles must remain calm and call on their experience.
"We have to remain calm and do what we have to do," he said. "This is not the first time, club or country, any of us have been in high-pressure moments. So we've got an experienced team to handle this situation, and its just about doing everything right."
There was a time when this bullish attitude would have been reassuring for Nigerian football fans, but the statement begs the question of where was that calmness and experience when the team was gifting points home and away in the previous games.
Complicating matters for Nigeria coach Éric Sékou Chelle is the absence of wing-back Ola Aina, injured on an atrocious pitch in the clash with South Africa at Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein, in September. Fellow defender Bright Osayi-Samuel, midfielder Raphael Onyedika, and forward Cyriel Dessers are also out injured.
On the plus side, Chelle has two of Africa's best players in the past two years, Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman, to call upon.
Osimhen, who was injured and missed the Bafana fixture after being hacked by a Rwanda defender in Uyo days earlier, returns bringing fire and hopefully goals to Nigeria.
What Nigeria Must Do:
Protect and feed Victor Osimhen
The draw at home to Lesotho was one of the results that have compromised the Super Eagles' chances of qualifying for the World Cup. Victory against the Crocodiles at the new Peter Mokaba Stadium in the South African city of Polokwane on Friday will not provide redemption, but it will at least keep their fighting chances alive.
To get that chance, they need goals; and to get goals, they need a healthy Osimhen.
The forward is a constant target of defenders, and he was savagely scythed in the game against Rwanda in September. The team must find ways to protect him while he is on the pitch. More importantly, they must feed him the right balls at the right time and in the right spots.
When Osimhen is on his game, the team wins; when he is not, bad things happen.
Ademola Lookman must show up
Lookman has been way off the pace in the past few games, his lack of playing time at Atalanta after a transfer dispute with the club possibly playing a part. But he is now getting some minutes in Italy, and, like Osimhen, is a threat when on his game.
The triumvirate of Osimhen, Lookman and Moses Simon were decisive in propelling Nigeria to the Africa Cup of Nations final last year, and the Super Eagles need them and the team to find their mojo individually and collectively.
If there is a misfire, Chelle should not hesitate to put the likes of Tolu Arokodare into the mix. The big forward has shown he can fill the void left by Osimhen when needed, and he can also be good foil for the former African Player of the Year.
Minimise defensive errors
The own goal against South Africa and previous defensive disasters, such as conceding the last-minute counterattack goal by Zimbabwe, represent the biggest issues that Nigeria have suffered during these qualifiers.
Chelle has to make a decision on Troost-Ekong. Does he trust his captain to bounce back from the errors that have plagued him through these qualifiers, and thrust him back into the starting lineup? Or does he go with the starting XI that defeated Rwanda?
Games, World Cup tickets, and even coaching jobs, are won and lost on decisions such as these, and Chelle must put it all on the line on Friday.
Whoever starts the game, Nigeria must eliminate defensive errors and remain locked in for 90 minutes and time added on. Surely, that cannot be too much to ask.