The Super Eagles of Nigeria cruised into the final of the 2026 World Cup playoff mini-tournament after a commanding 4–1 victory over Gabon on Thursday evening.
Nigeria, who qualified for the mini-tournament as one of the best runners-up in the main qualifying series, showed class and resilience to outplay the Panthers in a thrilling encounter.
Eric Chelle’s men had earlier finished behind South Africa, who sealed the automatic ticket from Group C.
The Eagles dominated the opening stages, creating several chances but failing to convert their possession into goals. They survived a scare midway through the first half when a VAR review for a possible penalty against Bright Osayi-Samuel was waved off by the referee.
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The breakthrough came in the 78th minute, when Adams Akor pounced on a loose ball to fire Nigeria ahead. However, Gabon equalised ten minutes later through Mario Lemina, whose deflected shot wrong-footed goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali.
In extra time, Nigeria took full control. Chidera Ejuke restored the lead after a fine assist from Wilfred Ndidi, before Victor Osimhen struck twice to seal an emphatic win for the three-time African champions.
With the victory, Nigeria will face the winner between DR Congo and Cameroon for a spot in the intercontinental playoff scheduled for March 2026, where a ticket to the World Cup will be at stake.
