Captain of the Super Eagles of Nigeria William Troost-Ekong has revealed the hopes of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is no longer solely dependent on Eric Chelle’s team, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 32-year-old scored from twelve yards on Friday against Lesotho at the Peter Makoba Stadium in Polokwane, South Africa in an attempt to redeem himself after he scored an own goal against Bafana Bafana last month.
It all comes down to 90 minutes between the Super Eagles and the Republic of Benin. The fixture is a must-win for Nigeria, although that doesn’t guarantee direct qualification.
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Ekong rallies support from Nigerian fans
For the Super Eagles to qualify directly, Rwanda have to defeat South Africa, while Nigeria have to defeat Benin.
Should South Africa defeat Rwanda, Nigeria have to secure a victory over Gernot Rohr’s side with a margin of at least four goals to qualify for the play-offs as one of the best second-placed teams.
As a result, Ekong has urged the Nigerian players and fans to play their part in making sure a good result surfaces at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo this evening.
“Do we need a miracle? Anything is possible, but the only reason it’s been like that is because we’ve worked for it. It’s not been easy, and we’ll give it our best shot.
“Hopefully, there will be enough for us to qualify. All of us want to be there. This is our life, this is our history we are trying to create. We all want to be at the World Cup so badly.
“The only thing we can control is to give our best game and take it minute by minute.
“There are players here who want to make names for themselves, and those who will want their names to go down well in history.
“So, they are fully prepared and will play to win,” the one-time Greek Champion said in the pre-match conference in quotes revealed by ESPN.
“From these qualifications, from the games that I have been part of, it has always been an uphill fight, swimming against the stream.
“I have sat here and told everyone that I believe we can qualify for the World Cup.
“The opportunity is still there, and we have managed to bring it here, which I believe is a lot of hard work.
“We’re going into this last game trying to give our best, and whatever happens, we will make peace with that.
IT AINT OVER TILL IT’S OVER pic.twitter.com/ZLEA0PwMPL
— William Troost-Ekong (M.O.N) (@WTroostEkong) October 10, 2025
“Tomorrow may not be 100% in our hands, but we try to do our best and win the match.
“It is a very difficult job if you describe that to anyone, understanding the emotion and pressure.
“This is not a game that I, the coach, or the players can win for us. We need to have a shared responsibility; everyone has to step up.
“And of course, playing in the stadium, I would love to see it full. I hope that tomorrow everyone will appreciate that and support the team,” Ekong concluded.
Nigeria beat Benin 3-0 the last time both sides met in Uyo, and will be hoping to replicate the same result this evening.