2025 AFCONQ: Captain William Troost Ekong targets three points against Benin Republic in Abidjan

By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde

The captain of Nigeria’s senior men’s national team, William Troost Ekong, is looking forward to a tough clash when he leads the three-time African champions against Benin Republic on Thursday.

The two West African sides trade tackles at the famous Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire, in the Matchday five fixture of Morocco 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Qualifiers.

Super Eagles need just a point to guarantee a place at next year’s Mundial, but Ekong had other ideas, given the team’s good run at the same stadium at the last AFCON.

“The stadium is a familiar one for us and we have good memories from the AFCON,” Ekong told theNFF.com

“We will rather focus on the positive results we have taken away from here and work hard for another good day in the office on Thursday.

“It is not going to be easy because the Beninoise are also chasing a ticket to the final tournament. However, our objective is clear: three points on the night,” Captain Ekong said on Tuesday.

Without the 2023 AFCON Player of the tournament, the Super Eagles lost 2-1 to Benin Republic in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers at the same stadium.

The script had changed now with the AFCON Qualifiers as Augustine Eguavoen took over from Finidi George, who resigned after two games with 10 points from four games, putting the team in good stead ahead of Thursday’s encounter.