Former Super Eagles defender Efe Sodje has expressed optimism ahead of Nigeria’s World Cup qualifier against Rwanda, insisting that the team still has what it takes to secure a spot at the 2026 FIFA World Cup despite their challenging position in the group, Bold Sports reports.
The Super Eagles currently sit fourth in Group C with seven points, one point behind Rwanda and Benin who are second and third respectively, and six behind South Africa who lead the table with 13 points. Nigeria must thus secure victory in all their remaining matches to keep their World Cup hopes alive.
Speaking to NFF Channel, Sodje reflected on a similar scenario during the build-up to the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan, when Nigeria had to fight hard to book their place. He went on to feature in two group-stage matches at that tournament, against Argentina and England.
“Obviously it was difficult but at the same time it’s Nigeria. There was fear in everybody at times when you just mention Super Eagles. No matter who was in the team, we always knew we were gonna win the game. The qualifiers was hard but we got there.”
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Sodje expressed confidence that the current squad has the quality to replicate that achievement, despite the difficult circumstances they now face.
“Yes, we are in a bad situation at the moment but I’ve always had that belief and confidence that we would always get there. With the caliber of players we have now, who are performing in Europe excellently, I still have the believe that they would qualify.”
“I know we have important games. There’s a new coach now and the players are there. They know it would be disastrous if they don’t qualify so they won’t want to put that on their name. It’s difficult, but when there are difficulties, you destroy the difficulties.”
Emphasising the team’s pedigree and the talent at their disposal, Sodje rallied the Super Eagles with a strong message of belief: “We are the Super Eagles. We always say we are the giants of Africa, now let’s prove to them that we still stick to that name. We have quality players. If you have a player like Osimhen, I don’t see any reason you don’t win a qualifier.”
He further stressed the importance of giving head coach Eric Chelle the time to instill a clear football identity in the players: “The coach needs enough time to make sure the players understand the identity of what we are going to be playing. They need to identify what the Super Eagles is all about.”
Nigeria’s clash against Rwanda is scheduled for 5pm on Saturday, September 6 at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo. After facing Rwanda, Nigeria will travel to Bloemfontein to take on South Africa on September 9.
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