Play Offs: What Super Eagles will do differently to be at the World Cup – Coach Chelle

Femi Fabunmi 

Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has vowed that his team will give everything to secure qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup through the CAF Playoffs, PM News has learnt

Nigeria missed out on automatic qualification after finishing second behind South Africa but now have another opportunity to book their place at the Mundial when they face Gabon in Morocco next month.

Speaking to Eagle7FM, Chelle emphasized the gravity of the challenge ahead.

“We play or we die — that’s the reality of our situation,” he said. “We need the warrior mindset; we have to be sharks. This is war.”

The coach noted that while the team has shown significant improvement since he took charge, limited preparation time remains a challenge.

“It’s been game after game with little time to train, but the focus now is November.

That’s when the real job begins,” he said. “We’ve done great work in 10 months. I knew we always had a chance, so I focused on the pitch and ignored the noise.”

Chelle assured fans that the Super Eagles will defeat Gabon to progress to the next stage of the playoffs.

“Gabon are a strong side with players like Aubameyang and Lemina, and a good coach. But this is a final for us. We’ll stay focused and positive,” he added.

“Even with injuries, if we’re at 100 percent, there’s no reason we can’t win. We’ll keep our energy high because we want to go to the World Cup.”

Nigeria will face Gabon on November 13 in Morocco. The winner will play either DR Congo or Cameroon to decide who advances to the Intercontinental Playoffs in Mexico in March.