Austin Okocha shares key to Super Eagles’ 2026 World Cup qualification

By Wale Mustapha

Former Nigeria captain Austin Okocha has offered his advice on how the Super Eagles can secure qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, urging belief and consistency from the national team.

Nigeria bolstered their qualification hopes with a victory over Rwanda in Kigali but failed to maintain momentum after a disappointing 1-1 draw with Zimbabwe.

The three-time African champions now sit fourth in Group C with seven points—six behind group leaders South Africa.

Okocha, who featured in three World Cups for Nigeria, remains optimistic about the team’s chances.

He emphasized the importance of winning the remaining four matches in the qualifying campaign.

“If we want to give ourselves any chance of qualifying, we have to be thinking of winning all our remaining matches,” Okocha said in an interview with iDiski Times.

“Of course, Bafana Bafana are top in the group. It will be a difficult game to play, but we still believe we can go there and win,” he added.

“If we want to qualify, those are the games that we need to win. I believe that we can win there, but it’s definitely not going to be easy.”

With South Africa leading the group, Nigeria faces a must-win scenario in the remaining fixtures to keep their World Cup dream alive.