As Nigeria goes into the final games of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers to secure the sole ticket of the group, former Nigerian international and team coordinator of the Super Eagles, Patrick Pascal, has said the three-time African champions will give everything to qualify for next year’s World Cup to be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
While Lesotho will host Nigeria today at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, South Africa, by 5 pm Nigerian time, group leaders Benin Republic, led by Coach Gernot Rohr, will tackle Rwanda at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali, and South Africa will hope to overrun Zimbabwe at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
To Pascal, an Atlanta 1996 Olympics gold medallist, all hope is not lost as the boys know what is at stake as they will target the maximum six points in the last two games to brighten their chances of Nigeria reaching its seventh World Cup.
“It’s football and anything can still happen. Never say die until the last kick, the final whistle. We are going to fight to the end. Nigeria, South Africa, Benin Republic and Rwanda all have the chances to qualify as far as our group is concerned. No one is giving up.
“Every team is now targeting six points in the two remaining games, and as a patriotic Nigerian, I’m optimistic that we are going to qualify for the World Cup. We are going to fight to the end, and we’ll not give up. We want to qualify for the World Cup,” Pascal, who won the 1995 Nigerian League and Challenge Cup with Shooting Stars Sports Club 3SC of Ibadan, told Sporting Tribune in Abuja.
Benin Republic leads group C with 14 points (on goal difference) same as South Africa. Nigeria occupies the third position with 11 points and will need six points in the last two games to have any chances of playing at next year’s World Cup.
Sporting Tribune reports that as of Thursday, 9th October, 2025, 18 countries have booked their tickets to the mundial. They are Canada, Mexico, the United States (host nations), Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Uzbekistan (Asia), Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia (Africa), New Zealand (Oceania), Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Uruguay (South America).
The 2026 World Cup, to be held from June 11 to July 19, 2026, will include 48 teams, a huge jump up from the 32 that participated in Qatar 2022.
READ ALSO FROM SPORTING TRIBUNE
The Catalans ultimately ground out a 1-0 win on Wednesday, further cementing their status as…
Chelsea are also looking at former midfielder Cesc Fabregas, who is currently managing Italian club…
City have hit form at the right time and are looking in ominous mood, clawing…
McFarlane’s move into senior management came earlier this season following the exit of Enzo Maresca....
"Liam has always conducted himself with the highest integrity and professionalism following...
The workshop highlights the growing efforts by regional and continental football bodies to accelerate the…
This website uses cookies.