Former Nigeria international Friday Ekpo is refusing to give up hope on the Super Eagles’ World Cup qualification push even after Tuesday’s demoralizing draw with South Africa, Footynaija.com reports.
Nigeria’s 2026 FIFA World Cup dream was dealt a heavy blow at the Free State Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein after the Super Eagles were held to a 1-1 draw by South Africa.
The result left Bafana Bafana top of Group C with 17 points, while Nigeria sit third, six points adrift, with only two matches remaining.
With just one automatic qualification slot available, South Africa are now strong favourites to book Group C’s ticket to the Mundial, set to be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Despite the grim situation, Ekpo, who notched five goals in 19 outings for the Super Eagles during his playing days, has urged Nigerians not to lose hope. According to him, qualification is still possible if the team stays focused.
What Friday Ekpo said
“The Super Eagles’ hope of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup is not over yet,” he told Complete Sport.
“The most important thing at the moment is for the team to win their remaining two games and hope other countries from other groups fail to get higher points.
“So, I still believe that the Super Eagles will make it to football’s biggest showpiece. The draw against South Africa doesn’t mean that we are out of the World Cup race.
“Until the final game, I am still optimistic Nigeria can qualify for the World Cup.”
There remains another pathway to the World Cup aside from outrightly winning the group. CAF’s format allows the four best second-placed teams across the nine qualification groups to battle for Africa’s final ticket via playoffs.
However, the Super Eagles face an uphill task. Their current position (3rd) and points tally (11) inspire little confidence when compared to the other teams in contention.
Gabon, Madagascar, Dr Congo and Burkina Faso are the current best second-placed teams. Gabon have racked up 19 points while Madagascar and Dr Congo both have 16 points. Burkina Faso completes the quartet with 15 points to their name.
So while the playoffs remain a possible route to the World Cup, it would require a massive stroke of fortune for the Super Eagles to some how worm their way into the scheme of things given their current disadvantage.