Fulham midfielder Alex Iwobi has issued a defiant challenge to Nigeria’s Group C rivals in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, warning them to expect a fierce battle as the Super Eagles seek to secure their spot in the global tournament, Soccernet.ng reports.
After failing to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Nigeria's Super Eagles are determined to avoid another disappointment.
The three-time African champions, who last featured in the tournament in 2018, are facing an uphill task in the current qualifiers.
With only four points from their opening four games, the Super Eagles trail leaders Rwanda by a significant four-point margin.
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Ahead of Nigeria’s crucial upcoming matches, Iwobi has made it clear that his team will fight tooth and nail to turn the tide.
“Everyone wants to experience the World Cup — it’s the best and biggest competition in the world,” Iwobi told the BBC.
“We know it's not going to be easy because every team in Africa wants to qualify. It's basically like going to war every game, but we'll put up a fight and try and see what we can do. We’re all hungry and motivated.”
Nigeria’s qualification hopes are on the line as they prepare for a crucial double-header in March.
The Super Eagles will travel to Kigali to face Rwanda before hosting Zimbabwe at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo.
The qualifiers will then pause before resuming in late summer, with Nigeria facing a challenging run of fixtures against South Africa, Lesotho, and Benin, along with a return encounter against Rwanda.
With only the group leaders guaranteed an automatic spot to the World Cup, the pressure is on Nigeria but Iwobi is confident in the quality of the squad, even as the team remains without a substantive head coach.
“We’ll never use it as an excuse because we can only hold ourselves accountable as players,” he stated.
“No matter what manager comes into play, essentially it's down to us as players to give 100%. We’ve got the quality, we all play in various high leagues across Europe. We have got to take accountability and get the points to qualify.”
Head of the Nigeria Football Federation's Technical Department, Augustine Eguavoen stepped in as caretaker coach to guide the Super Eagles to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
Eguavoen has, however, called on the NFF to speed up the process of engaging a new permanent coach ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
