After failing to secure a spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup through the straightforward pathway, Nigeria’s Super Eagles, on Thursday, will begin a do-or-die journey for a last chance to play in North America, when the African Play-Off Tournament kicks off in Morocco on Thursday. 

Nigeria, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon are participating in the mini tournament to compete for a single ticket to the final intercontinental playoff stage. However, the Eagles’ mission is threatened by internal disputes over unpaid allowances.

Nigeria’s pathway to North America

Nigeria will face Gabon in the first semifinal tie of the tournament at the Prince Moulay Al Hassan Sports Complex in Rabat on Thursday, while Cameroon tango DR Congo in the second semifinal clash later the same day at the Al-Barid Stadium. 

If the Eagles win their game, they will face either Cameroon or DR Congo in a final match at the Prince Moulay Al Hassan Sports Complex on Sunday. A victory for Nigeria in that match will secure the Eagles a passage to the final phase of the qualifiers. 

At the final phase dubbed, ‘FIFA World Cup 2026 Play-Off Tournament,’ the winner of African playoffs will join five other nations; two of which are from the Concacaf region and one team apiece from the AFC and CONMEBOL. 

The tournament is scheduled for Mexico in March 2026.

From the six teams who qualify, the four lowest-ranked nations in the FIFA World Ranking will meet in bracket semi-finals while two highest-ranked teams will go directly into the finals. The winners of the two bracket finals will reach the FIFA World Cup 26.

Given the criteria that FIFA has put in place, the Eagles may only need to win one game in Mexico to qualify for the World Cup, as there is a high likelihood that they would be to be one of the two seeded teams based on the current ranking, if Nigeria manages to scale through the continental playoffs.

Camp protest

Unfortunately, the final opportunity for Nigeria to qualify for the World Cup may be slipping away after Super Eagles players refused to train on Tuesday and may continue on Wednesday unless the Nigeria Football Federation pays the camp allowances and match bonuses they are owed.

According to reports, NFF is still owing the players up to six years’ allowances, despite President Bola Tinubu approving N12 billion for the settlement of debts the federation is owing the national teams. 

Despite Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong maintaining that the team is focused on the game against Gabon, many football fans believe the protest may have jeopardised the team’s momentum ahead of such a crucial match. 

All eyes on Victor Osimehn 

Considering Victor Osimehn’s impact whenever he is on the pitch for Eagles, eyes of the Nigerian football lovers are on the Galatasaray forward to take the team across the finish line. 

Lately, Osimhen’s presence on the pitch has been heavily tied to Nigeria’s ability to win matches. This is significantly apparent during the main World Cup qualifiers as Eagles failed to win all the four games the striker missed due to injury. 

He recently showed his importance during Eagles’ must-win last group game against Benin Republic in October, scoring a crucial hat-trick to ensure Nigerian can still nurse the dream of featuring at the World Cup next year.