Nigeria’s senior men’s national team head coach Eric Chelle has shifted attention fully to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) following Nigeria’s disappointing exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying playoffs.
Nigeria’s hopes of reaching the global showpiece were dashed after a defeat to Democratic Republic Congo in the final of the Africa World Cup playoffs, marking the Super Eagles’ second consecutive failure to qualify for the tournament side debut in 1994.
Chelle, however, insists that the setback must now be put behind the team, stressing that dwelling on the World Cup disappointment could distract the players from their immediate objective at AFCON.
“We are here and we have a game tomorrow and also we have a tournament, so we don’t have the time to think about what has happened before,” Chelle said.
“This is not the moment to talk about the World Cup qualifiers. For now, the most important thing is this tournament.”
The former Mali national team coach also highlighted the importance of Nigeria’s opening fixture, describing it as vital to the team’s chances in the competition.
“Our first game is a big game. The first game is very important and for sure we want to win this game,” he added.
The Super Eagles will begin their AFCON 2025 campaign against Tanzania at the Fez Stadium in Fes on Tuesday, December 23, with Chelle keen to see a strong start to the tournament.
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.
