Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has expressed confidence that Nigeria will successfully defend the Unity Cup when they face Jamaica in Saturday’s final in London.
Nigeria are seeking a second consecutive Unity Cup title after defeating Jamaica on penalties in last year’s final.
The Super Eagles booked their place in the final after defeating Zimbabwe 2-0 in the semi-finals, while Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz overcame India by the same scoreline to set up a repeat of last year’s title decider.
Nigeria won the 2025 edition after a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Jamaica following a 2-2 draw in regulation time.
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On that occasion, Moses Simon gave the Super Eagles an early lead before Kaheim Dixon equalised for Jamaica. Samuel Chukwueze restored Nigeria’s advantage early in the second half, but Jon Russell levelled again for the Reggae Boyz to force penalties.
Nigeria converted all five of their spot-kicks, while Dwayne Atkinson missed Jamaica’s decisive effort as the Super Eagles lifted the trophy.
Although Simon and Chukwueze are absent from this year’s tournament, Chelle’s side showed their quality in the semi-finals as debutant Femi Azeez scored both goals in the victory over Zimbabwe.
Jamaica also head into the final in good form, with Courtney Clarke and Kaheim Dixon finding the net in their win over India.
With Nigeria having won several major knockout matches via penalties in recent years, including games at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, Chelle was asked whether his team was prepared for another shootout.
“Penalties are part of the game, and they can decide who wins a match. Every time I go into a game, I have the mentality to win,” Chelle said.
“This is the culture I have put in these boys – the winning culture. I don’t know if Saturday’s game will end in penalties; what I know is that I have prepared my team to win.
“These are very young players with a bright future and they are hungry for success at any level. So, on Saturday, we will see how the game is decided, but we surely have prepared to win and defend the Unity Cup.”
Victory would hand Chelle his first trophy as Super Eagles coach and extend Nigeria’s dominance in the competition, while also providing further encouragement ahead of the team’s upcoming international assignments.
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