Super Eagles captain, William Troost-Ekong, has said the team is fully focused on securing a place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Gatekeepers News reports that speaking ahead of Sunday’s playoff final against the Democratic Republic of Congo in Rabat, he stressed that the players need no extra motivation.
He told NFF Media, “The boys are, first of all, I think happy to be here competing on Sunday. There’s no other motivation that we need.”
“We all want to go to the World Cup. So, it is going to be a difficult game. DR Congo also did well to get to the final here for Africa and we are really looking forward to it.”
In a boost for the team, the Confederation of African Football on Saturday confirmed that Wilfred Ndidi is eligible to play in the final despite receiving his second yellow card of the qualifiers during Nigeria’s 4–1 win over Gabon in Thursday’s semi-final. Earlier reports had suggested he would miss the match.
Troost-Ekong welcomed the clarification, describing Ndidi’s availability as a major plus for the squad.
He said, “I believe it’s true that Wilfred can play tomorrow, which everyone is really happy about. So there was some clarification and I think that is all out now, so no surprises.”
“And we also understand clearly what this will mean for any player on a yellow card for the next game. So, that’s good to know.”
Recall that Nigeria reached Sunday’s final after overcoming Gabon in Rabat, where Akor Adams’ late goal restored the lead in the 78th minute before Mario Lemina forced extra time with an 89th-minute equaliser.
