By Wale Mustapha
Nigerian defender Gabriel Osho remains optimistic about the Super Eagles’ chances of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, despite their challenging start to the qualifying campaign.
Nigeria has struggled in the opening four matches, failing to secure a win and currently sitting fifth in their group. However, Osho, who recently earned a call-up to the national team, believes that the country’s wealth of talent will help them overcome this early setback.
“We have to focus on the World Cup qualifiers and the AFCON,” Osho stated.
“After the last competition, our goal is to progress and triumph. I think we have enough talent.”
Osho also praised the potential of the Super Eagles, saying, “The quality of our team is probably the best in Africa. It is time to assert it on the big stage.”
Nigeria’s next World Cup qualifier will be against Zimbabwe in March 2025, and Osho is confident that the team can turn things around and achieve their goal of qualification.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career 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.
