Continue with Eguavoen – Former Nigeria & Bari star urges NFF ahead of 2026 World Cup qualifiers

Former Super Eagles striker Chukwu Ndukwe has charged the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to retain Augustine Eguavoen as head coach for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers scheduled to resume in March, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Super Eagles are yet to appoint a permanent head coach, with Eguavoen serving as interim manager for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.

The year 2024 proved turbulent for Nigeria’s coaching setup. José Peseiro led the team to the 2023 AFCON, while Finidi George took charge during the World Cup qualifiers in June.

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The NFF explored hiring German manager Bruno Labbadia in August but ultimately handed Eguavoen the reins for the AFCON qualifiers.

Eguavoen, alongside assistants Daniel Ogunmodede of Remo Stars and Fidelis Ilechukwu of Rangers, guided Nigeria to Morocco 2025 qualification with a game to spare.

Despite his success, Eguavoen has openly expressed his willingness to continue but emphasised the need for clarity from the NFF regarding the appointment of a permanent head coach.

Former Bari and Çaykur Rizespor star Chukwu Ndukwe, however, dismissed the notion of engaging a new coach, local or foreign.

The former international, who scored three goals in ten games for the Super Eagles, stressed the importance of stability and continuity within the team, urging the NFF to support Eguavoen’s technical crew fully.

“Our priority should be qualifying for the World Cup, and for that, we need stability in the team,” Ndukwe told Brila.

“Sometimes the coach needs time to understand the squad’s depth, experiment with players, and build a solid team.

“I think Eguavoen and his technical crew should continue instead of bringing in a new coach and starting afresh.”

Nigeria face a challenging path in the World Cup qualifiers.

They sit fifth in Group C with only three points, trailing leaders Rwanda, South Africa, and Benin, who each have seven points, as well as Lesotho, on five points.

The Super Eagles began their campaign with three consecutive draws against Zimbabwe, Lesotho, and South Africa before suffering a 2-1 defeat to Benin.

They will resume their qualification bid on March 17 with a clash against Rwanda in Kigali, followed by a home encounter with Zimbabwe on March 24.