WCQ:Super Eagles To Meet Gabon In CAF Playoffs
Nigeria’s Super Eagles will take on Gabon in the semi-finals of the CAF playoffs for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, in a match scheduled for Thursday, 13 November 2025, in Morocco.
Gabon, who finished second in Group F with 25 points, just one point behind African champions Côte d’Ivoire, will now face a resurgent Nigerian side that sealed their playoff place after a 4–0 demolition of Benin in Uyo on Tuesday.
Victory over Gabon would set up a potential final against either Cameroon or the Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday, 16 November, also in Morocco.
The winner of that final will proceed to the intercontinental playoffs, which will be held in March 2026 across two venues in Mexico.
The intercontinental tournament will feature six teams from five confederations — one each from Asia, Africa, South America and Oceania, along with two from CONCACAF — competing for the final two World Cup slots.
The four lowest-ranked teams will first meet in single-elimination ties, with the winners progressing to face the top two in another knockout round to decide who goes to the World Cup.
Nigeria reached the CAF playoffs as one of the four best runners-up after finishing second in Group C, behind South Africa.
Their emphatic win over Benin, inspired by Victor Osimhen’s hat-trick and a late goal from Frank Onyeka, proved decisive in securing qualification.
As Eric Chelle’s side prepare for the decisive clash against Gabon, expectations are high that the Super Eagles can take one more step towards returning to the world’s biggest football stage in 2026 after missing the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
Can the Super Eagles finish the job and return to the World Cup stage?
The Guardian
