Can the Super Eagles qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup? Nwabali speaks

Soccer

Super Eagles and Chippa United goalkeeper, Stanley Bobo Nwabali, has admitted he’s hopeful the three-time AFCON Champions can secure a spot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Soccernet.ng reports.

The 29-year-old has been in goal for all of Nigeria’s six World Cup qualifying games, and has revealed his side have the chance to put things right after winning just one of their qualifiers.

With four games to spare, the Super Eagles are six points off South Africa, but can rekindle hope if they secure victory against Bafana Bafana in September.

Stanley Nwabali during the Unity Cup Final, London 2025 match between Jamaica and Nigeria at Gtech Community Stadium, Brentford, England. [Photo Credit/ Imago].

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Stanley Nwabali during the 2025 AFCON qualifier match between Nigeria and Libya at Godwill Akpabio Stadium on October 11, 2024 in Uyo, Nigeria. [Photo Credit/Imago].

Quizzed about Nigeria’s qualification hopes, the 1.96m tall goalkeeper stated clearly that having a star-studded team doesn’t guarantee three points, but hard work, belief and cohesion can help them secure a spot in the biggest football tournament in the world.

“It is football. Just because we are Nigeria doesn’t mean we’re guaranteed to win every game. You can see we still have a lot of chances to qualify, despite where we are on the table.

“We’re going to push in our next game, take it one game at a time, and we’ll see how our next four games go,” the former Enyimba goalkeeper told Brila.

Stanley Nwabali during the 2025 AFCON qualifier match between Nigeria and Libya at Godwill Akpabio Stadium on October 11, 2024, in Uyo, Nigeria. [Photo Credit/ Imago].

Nigeria resume their World Cup qualification in September when they take on Rwanda and South Africa. Should Eric Chelle’s side secure six points from these fixtures, they’ll be in pole position for direct qualification.

Soccer Adefolahan Guerreiro


Adefolahan Guerreiro

Adefolahan is a multilingual journalist and writer at Soccernet Nigeria.

With a track record of involvement in College sports, Adefolahan is focused on crafting engaging football content and utilising his language skills and extensive sports knowledge to enhance content accessibility for a global audience.

He has interviewed Nigerian stars like Finidi George, Junior Lokosa, and Abraham Onahi Ogbu.

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