2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers: Super Eagles land in Cote D’Ivoire for Benin showdown

By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde

Players and officials of Nigeria’s senior men’s national team arrived Cote D’Ivoire for their next 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers on Sunday.

Barely 24 hours before another important World Cup Qualifying match with Benin Republic, the Super Eagles arrived Cote D’Ivoire Sunday afternoon in search of their first win in Group C.

The delegation, led by President of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, included 23 players, technical and administrative officials, a few members of the NFF Executive Committee and Management, and a couple of media representatives.

They flew aboard a chartered ValueJet aircraft from the Obong Victor Attah Airport in Uyo and landed at the Aeroport Felix Houphouet-Boigny at noon on Sunday

Monday’s game is scheduled for Stade Felix Houphpouet Boigny, Abidjan with Nigeria in fifth position on the log after three draws.

The team is returning to the ground where they masterminded a silver medal feat at AFCON 2023 with an unbeaten record on the same pitch.

Unbeaten after three games but the results are undesirable as the three time African champions played out 1-1 draws in those games against Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and recently South Africa in Uyo last Friday.

Two of the three games were prosecuted under former coach, Jose Peseiro before the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

The team found form at the AFCON and narrowly missed the title to host, Cote D’Ivoire.

If Finidi George’s side is to get a win, it has to be against Benin Republic, a team that have only beaten them once in the last 16 meetings.

Returning to the World Cup after missing out the last time remained the focus of the West African giants.

Since 1994, the team has not missed out of consecutive World Cup appearance with 2006 World Cup and 2022 the two missing links.