Nigeria football legend, Segun Odegbami, has expressed confidence that the Super Eagles will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup through the African play-offs, following their resounding 4–0 victory over Benin Republic on Tuesday in Uyo. Odegbami, a member of Nigeria’s 1980 Africa Cup of Nations-winning squad, hailed the team’s performance, describing the win as well-deserved and a sign of renewed determination. “We did very well. I am happy with the boys, and I think we deserved to win and we won very well. We now have an opportunity to qualify,” Odegbami said. “I think we have a very good chance to qualify from these play-offs to make it to the World Cup.” The Super Eagles’ emphatic victory, powered by Victor Osimhen’s hat-trick and a stoppage-time strike by Frank Onyeka, secured Nigeria’s place among the top four second-placed teams in the African qualifiers with 15 points and a +7 goal difference. The result marked a strong finish to what had been a challenging qualifying campaign for the three-time African champions, who had earlier risked missing back-to-back World Cup appearances for the first time since making their debut in 1994. Odegbami, who also represented Nigeria at the 1976 Olympic Games, said the current squad has the quality and depth to navigate the play-offs and reach the expanded 48-team World Cup to be hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Meanwhile, the Super Eagles will await the official draw for the play-offs, where they are expected to face one of the other second-placed teams—such as Gabon, Cameroon, or DR Congo—in a two-legged encounter to determine who advances to the Intercontinental playoff for a final World Cup slot.
Odegbami Backs Super Eagles to Qualify for 2026 World Cup Through Play-offs
