Chelle Says Super Eagles Must Improve to Qualify for 2026 World Cup
Super Eagles coach, Eric Chelle, has said that Nigeria’s national football team must improve quickly if they want to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He made this statement as the team gets ready to face Russia in an international friendly match on Friday in Moscow.
The match against Russia will be their third friendly in two weeks. The Super Eagles recently beat Ghana and Jamaica to win the second edition of the Unity Cup held in London last Saturday. Chelle believes the recent matches are useful for building team strength before the next stage of World Cup qualifiers.
Chelle took charge of the Super Eagles in January and has a big task ahead. He is expected to take the team to the final of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco. But for now, his focus is on fixing their World Cup campaign, which is not going well.
He said he would have preferred to skip the Unity Cup but saw it as a good way to test many players. “We have a big goal in September. I used this opportunity to see what many players can do. I’m proud of their hard work, even though they trained just a few times,” Chelle said.
He was happy with the goals and chances the team created during the Unity Cup, but admitted that more work is needed. “We have weaknesses. We must improve as a group, especially if we want to make it to the World Cup,” he added.
Chelle stressed the need for the players to stay united. “We must defend and attack as a team. We also need to grow stronger mentally and physically. We must play like warriors if we want to succeed,” he said.
So far, Chelle has managed two World Cup qualifying games since March — one win and one draw — but the results haven’t been enough. The Super Eagles are currently in fourth place in Group C with seven points.
To qualify for the World Cup, Nigeria must win their remaining four games. In September, they will face Rwanda at home and South Africa away. Then in October, they will play against Lesotho away and the Benin Republic at home. They are six points behind group leaders South Africa, making every game a must-win from now on.
