By Oluwadamilola Olaleye
Nigeria captain William Troost-Ekong has urged calm and focus as Nigeria prepares for back-to-back 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and South Africa, insisting that the team must take each game “one step at a time.”
Nigeria face Rwanda first on Saturday in Uyo, a side they previously defeated in the reverse fixture in Kigali during Matchday 5.
The clash will serve as Matchday 7 of the qualifiers, before the three-time African champions shift attention to their Matchday 8 showdown against South Africa in Bloemfontein.
“You take one step at a time. We have Rwanda to play on Saturday, and there are three points there. After that is concluded, then we begin to think of South Africa,” Ekong told the press when asked about the Bafana Bafana fixture.
“There are three points also in there when we play in Bloemfontein, but that is a few days after Rwanda. Rwanda comes first.
“We will do our very best to go all out and win the remaining four matches. Hopefully, that will be good enough to take us there,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Super Eagles’ training camp reached full capacity on Wednesday evening following the arrivals of midfielders Raphael Onyedika and Chrisantus Uche, alongside attacking trio Victor Osimhen, Samuel Chukwueze, and Tolu Arokodare.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
