By Wale Mustapha
Nigeria’s experienced defender, Ola Aina, has expressed confidence that the Super Eagles will still secure a spot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup despite their 1-1 draw with Zimbabwe, which has hindered their qualification efforts.
The Super Eagles, under coach Éric Chelle, were held to a draw by Zimbabwe on Tuesday, leaving them in fourth place in Group C, six points behind leaders South Africa.
The result put a dent in Nigeria’s World Cup aspirations, but Aina remains optimistic.
“We will make this World Cup, chill,” Aina posted on his Snapchat, reassuring fans of the team’s potential.
The Super Eagles will resume their qualifying campaign in September with a crucial home fixture against Rwanda, aiming to close the gap and continue their pursuit of World Cup 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.
