Super Eagles head coach, Eric Chelle, has picked the two matches that stopped the team from qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
According to Chelle, their 1-1 home draw with Zimbabwe in Uyo and the 1-1 away draw against South Africa in Bloemfontein were key results.
The three-time African champions eventually failed to secure the automatic qualification ticket from Group C, finishing as runners-up behind South Africa.
Although the Eagles made it into the African play-offs, they also lost out to the Democratic Republic of Congo in a penalty shootout.
In an interview with Riadh Belaïche, Chelle said: “I was appointed in January last year. When I arrived, Nigeria had three points out of 12, so we fought hard to try to qualify. Having reached the playoffs, we lost against the Democratic Republic of Congo. We lost on penalties; they deserved the victory.
“It’s true that in some matches, like against Zimbabwe, we drew at home while the match was in our hands. In the end, these two dropped points hurt us a lot. We drew in South Africa.”
