Nigeria is glaringly absent from what has been a historic World Cup outing for African nations: Of the 10 African nations that qualified for the tournament, a historic high, nine reached the knockout stage, smashing the previous record of just two.
Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle isn’t holding back about exactly where Nigeria’s World Cup campaign unravelled. Speaking to Algerian influencer Riadh Belaïche, Chelle says that he inherited a team that had collected just three points from their first four qualifiers when he took charge in January 2025 and fought hard to drag Nigeria back into contention. The Super Eagles ultimately finished second in Group C, one point behind South Africa, before losing to DR Congo on penalties in the CAF playoff final in Rabat, ending Nigeria’s hopes of reaching their first World Cup since 2018.
Chelle pinpointed two specific results as the turning points. The first was a home draw against Zimbabwe on March 25 at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, where Nigeria looked set to win after Victor Osimhen headed home a goal in the 74th minute, only for Zimbabwe’s Tawanda Chirewa to break through and equalise deep into stoppage time, in the 90th minute, for a 1-1 draw. The second came away to South Africa, where Nigeria were held to another 1-1 draw, a result that cost them the chance to leapfrog Bafana Bafana and take direct control of their own qualification destiny.
Despite the disappointment, Chelle has committed his future to the role and recently signed a new contract with the Nigeria Football Federation. In his 27 matches in charge, he has guided the Super Eagles to 16 wins, nine draws, and only two losses. He’s also taking charge of Nigeria’s Olympic U-23 team as the federation looks to the next competition cycle.
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