Super Eagles Team.
Nigeria’s Super Eagles will face Gabon in the semi-finals of the African section of the 2026 FIFA World Cup play-offs, after the completion of the qualifying group stage on Tuesday.
The three-time African champions secured their spot in the play-offs with a commanding 4–0 victory over Benin Republic, sealing second place in their group and extending their unbeaten run. Gabon, meanwhile, booked their ticket with a 2–0 win over Burundi, aided by Ivory Coast’s dominant win over Kenya to top Group F.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) confirmed that the play-offs — featuring the four best runners-up from the nine African qualifying groups — will take place in Morocco from November 13 to 16, 2025.
Nigeria, expected to remain the highest-ranked African side among the four when FIFA’s updated rankings are released on October 23, will meet Gabon, the lowest-ranked of the quartet. The other semi-final will see Cameroon lock horns with DR Congo, who edged Sudan 1–0 to finish second in Group B behind Senegal.
Both semi-finals are scheduled for November 13, with the winners advancing to a single-leg final on November 16. The overall champion will earn a spot in the inter-confederation play-offs in March 2026, where one last ticket to the World Cup finals in Canada, Mexico, and the United States will be up for grabs.
CAF has yet to confirm the exact venue for the fixtures, but the matches will be played as single-leg knockouts. If the scores are tied after regulation time, extra time and penalties will decide the winner.
The play-off mini-tournament offers Africa an additional qualification path to the expanded 48-team World Cup, where the continent already has nine direct representatives — the winners of each qualifying group.
With momentum on their side and history beckoning, the Super Eagles will look to maintain their dominant form as they push toward another World Cup appearance on the global stage.
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