World Cup (Q): Eric Chelle- Nigeria v Benin “most important game for my career”

Nigeria national team head coach Eric Chelle called Tuesday’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying Group C clash against Benin his most important game as a coach.

Nigeria will host Benin, who currently top Group C, on Tuesday at the Godswill Akpibio national stadium, Uyo. Speaking to the press ahead of the crucial and encounter, Chelle said the focus is on the game plan as the match is going to be crucial:

“Tomorrow there is a big game to play. We are focused about our group, we are focused about our players, we are focused about our game plan, and for sure we will give everything tomorrow. But the reality, there is another team who can go to the World Cup, and they want to go too.”

“So, for me, like a coach, it’s maybe the most important game for my career. So, I’m very happy, I’m very excited. Sometimes I’m a little nervous, but I like this pressure. And tomorrow we will see.”

The Malian added that the fixture is a must-win and his team are focused on making sure that a positive result comes up.

“We need to win. If I try to say, maybe two goals, maybe three goals, maybe something happens during the game. I need to think about every move, about the game.”

“I need to check everything. For me, we need to be focused, just only focused on our game.”

Also reacting to the upcoming match, Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong acknowledged the fact that their qualification does not fully rest on them winning the game but that they will give their all.

“It’s a massive opportunity. This is not a moment to look back at what we’ve done before.”

“We have to look at the opportunity ahead of us now, tomorrow. The team is really, really focused.We have a special generation of players here who all want to make a name for themselves and who all want to go down in history. So, tomorrow is an opportunity. It’s not 100 per cent in our hands, but it hasn’t been for the last year, maybe.”

“I remember when we qualified here in 2017 for the World Cup 2018, and I hope tomorrow we can make the same memories.”

Troost-Ekong, who will be making his 83rd cap for Nigeria if he plays, stated that the team will give their all as the game will not be an easy one due to the fact that they will face former coach Gernot Rohr, who spent years in charge of the Super Eagles.

“We are just going into this last game trying to give our best, and afterwards we’re going to have to have a piece of that.”

“Playing against Benin is not easy, there’s no guarantee. Of course, we played against a coach that knows this team very well. We’ve worked with him for five years. It’s a miracle, everything has stayed possible.”

“The only reason it’s been like that is because we’ve worked for it, so it’s not been easy. We give our best shot, and hopefully tomorrow there’ll be enough for us to qualify. All of us want to be there.”

What is the situation for Nigeria heading into their final World Cup qualifying clash with Benin?

The three-time African champions currently sit third in Group C and will need to win against the Cheetahs to stand a chance of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

However, they would need to wait and see what the result is between South Africa and Rwanda to see if they qualify. A victory for South Africa’s Bafana Bafana would leave Nigeria needing a win by multiple goals to reach the regional playoff for the top four group runners-up.