Super Eagles vs Guinea-Bissau: ‘The pitch is a very big concern’—mood inside camp

Super Eagles of Nigeria are in Bissau for Tuesday's AFCON 2027 qualifier against Guinea-Bissau, and while the mood in camp is relaxed, the state of the pitch at Estádio 24 de Setembro, Soccernet.ng reports.

Nigeria go into the match off the back of a 2-1 win over Madagascar in Uyo, which leaves them level on points with group leaders Guinea-Bissau after Matchday 1. Speaking to Soccernet.ng from Bissau, Andrew Randa, who is with the NFF media delegation, described a squad that looks settled—but one keeping a close eye on conditions on the pitch.

Super Eagles look ‘relaxed'

“Everybody looks relaxed,” Randa said, describing training on the eve of the match. “There was a training session yesterday, about one hour, where the players felt out the pitch. You could see they were much more relaxed—they were talking about the pitch and about some of the players who played in Nigeria, talking about the kind of pitches they played on back in the day, and how they think that experience will help them today. So everybody looks relaxed, they look good, and I think they're raring to go.”

Super Eagles vs Guinea-Bissau: ‘Pitch is a very big concern'

That relaxed mood hasn't stopped genuine unease about the surface itself. Several videos of the Bissau pitch have circulated on social media in the days before the game, and a direct comparison to the pitch in South Africa where a Nigerian international was previously injured.

🗣🇳🇬Chelle: You've see the pitch, you've walked across it. I don't want to talk about it.

When we train and feel it, we can them now decide what our tactics will be.

🗣Guinea-Bissau player Jefferson Encada🇬🇼: We don't wanna play here. We don't like the pitch. #disfootballsef pic.twitter.com/cCAabLAXnz

— Andrew Randa (@RandaAndrew) September 28, 2026

“Some of the Guinea-Bissau players actually complained about the pitch too, and some said they would have preferred to play in Morocco,” the CEO of Randa Footy explained. “Everybody, including myself, thought the game would be played in Morocco, but about 11 to 13 days before our game against Madagascar, we found out Guinea-Bissau had been given the nod to host the game—which is quite funny to me, based on the criteria CAF usually sets for a stadium to be accredited. I asked the assistant general secretary what kind of politics the Guinea-Bissau FA played to get the game here in Bissau.”

The concerns haven't dented the squad's focus on the result itself.

“The pitch isn't exactly what it should be, and there are concerns among the players. But again, they're going to give their best, because they know they need to build on the three points they got against Madagascar. That point is non-negotiable — it's the utmost thing on their minds right now.”

Asked whether the surface would shape how Nigeria approaches the match, Randa didn't hold back:

“Even Eric Chelle said the pitch will determine what kind of game plan he puts out today. So the pitch is a very big concern, and personally I don't know how Guinea-Bissau were able to pull this off. But no excuses—both teams play on the same pitch, and I hope Nigeria gets the three points.”

No VAR expected in Bissau

Fans hoping for video assistance on contentious calls shouldn't expect it.

“I don't think so,” the expert said when asked if VAR would be available. “I'm not even sure who's been approved for these qualifiers. If VAR had been available, we probably would have seen it used in the game against Madagascar—a lot of people, myself included, thought the first goal was offside. If VAR was in place, that decision, among a couple of others, would probably have been checked. But I don't think VAR is available for the qualifiers, so we just have to take what we see and rely on the officials' real-time calls.”

Super Eagles vs Guinea-Bissau match: What to know

Nigeria face Guinea-Bissau on Tuesday, 29 September 2026, kicking off at 16:00 GMT / 17:00 WAT at the Estádio 24 de Setembro in Bissau, in their second AFCON 2027 qualifier of the current window.

Matchday in Cidade de Bissau 📍#GNBNGA #AFCONQ #SoarSuperEagles pic.twitter.com/AhZjm0tX0r

— 🇳🇬 Super Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) September 29, 2026

Unlike their opener in Uyo, where tickets were sold, the gates in Bissau are expected to be open to fans free of charge.