2026 World Cup: Dates for Super Eagles’ matches against Lesotho and Zimbabwe confirmed

The three-time African champions missed out on the last edition of the global showpiece and are focused on qualifying for the next

Super Eagles fans can now mark their calendars as the official dates for Nigeria’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Zimbabwe have been unveiled, Soccernet.ng reports.

According to the announcement on the Super Eagles X handle, Nigeria will kick off their World Cup qualifying campaign by taking on the Crocodiles of Lesotho at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on Friday, November 17.

Three days after this showdown, the former African champions will go head-to-head with the Warriors of Zimbabwe at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali.

Benin Republic, South Africa, and Rwanda are Nigeria’s other competitors for their group’s sole qualifying ticket.

Under the guidance of Portuguese manager Jose Peseiro, the Super Eagles will aim to record maximum points over Lesotho and Zimbabwe next month.

Nigeria’s fixtures with Benin’s Squirrels, South Africa’s Bafana Bafana, and Rwanda’s Wasps are scheduled for 2024.

South Africa and Nigeria are the only teams of the six in contention to have ever played at the World Cup.

With high stakes on the line, the top team in the group will secure a direct ticket to the 2026 World Cup, set to be jointly hosted by the USA, Mexico, and Canada.

The Super Eagles failed to make it to the 2022 World Cup hosted by Qatar as the 2013 AFCON kings were bested by long-standing rivals, Ghana, during the final playoff round.