Super Eagles’ Coach, Eric Chelle, will meet with the Nigeria Football Federation’s (NFF) technical committee this week to finalise the list of players and also conclude arrangements for the 2026 World Cup African playoff, which begins on November 13, in Morocco, officials of the federation have said.
Nigeria will meet Gabon in the first semifinal game of the playoff on November 13 and if victorious, the Super Eagles will meet the winners of the semifinal between Cameroon and DR Congo in the decisive game on November 16.
An NFF official told The Guardian at the weekend that Chelle has already compiled the list of players that he needs for the games, adding that the meeting with the federation is to conclude arrangements for the team’s camping in Morocco before the playoff begins.
“The NFF started preparations for the playoff immediately after the last Group C game of the qualifiers against the Republic of Benin because of the importance attached to the qualifiers,” he said.
The Super Eagles are expected to assemble in Morocco on November 9, but the advanced team will leave for the North African country earlier than the players, he added.
“All the players will fly directly to Morocco, with only the coach and backroom staff moving from Nigeria,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has said that it would adopt the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in the high-stakes, winner-takes-all mini-tournament, according to reports.
The move, the reports said, is to ensure that teams play according to the rules, as the VAR is expected to guide the referees to the right decisions in controversial situations.
The winner of the tournament will advance to March 2026’s FIFA intercontinental play-off tournament, where one more win secures a berth at World Cup 26 in Canada, Mexico and the United States.
