The Chairman of the Kwara State Football Association, Mallam Idris Abdullahi Musa Thuraya, has urged Nigerians to remain optimistic as the Super Eagles prepare to face Lesotho in today’s crucial World Cup qualifier.
Thuraya, in a statement made available on Kwara Sports Forum Whatsapp platform this Afternoon, said Nigeria’s chances of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup remain bright and firmly within the team’s control despite earlier setbacks.
According to him, the recent withdrawal of Eritrea from the African qualifiers has slightly altered the qualification dynamics, creating an advantage for the Super Eagles if they can secure back-to-back victories in their remaining fixtures.
“The withdrawal of Eritrea creates a situation where one group has five teams while others have six,” he explained.
“This means that the second-placed team in that group will be at a disadvantage, having played two games less than the others. To resolve this, results achieved against the bottom teams in all other groups will be discarded when determining the best second-placed teams.”
Thuraya noted that this scenario favours Nigeria, provided the team wins its next two matches.
“If we win our next two games, we’ll end up with 17 points, and after the results against Zimbabwe are discarded, we’ll remain with 15 points and a positive goal difference of at least +4,” he said.
He added that in most other groups, the second-placed teams would lose six points and several goals from their tally due to the recalculation. This development, he said, gives Nigeria a realistic chance of finishing among the four best second-placed teams that will qualify for the next round.
“Among the other groups, only Cameroon and Gabon are likely to finish with 16 or 17 points after recalculation,” Thuraya observed. “So, if we win both games and improve our goal difference to at least +5, we’ll be in a very strong position.”
The Kwara FA boss expressed confidence that the Super Eagles can rise to the occasion and urged fans to stay hopeful and united in support of the national team.
