High Stakes in Abidjan: Can Super Eagles Overcome Ivory Coast in Crucial World Cup Qualifier?

Despite starting their 2026 World Cup qualifiers with three consecutive draws, the Nigerian women’s national team, the Super Falcons, will look to regain their footing as they face the Benin Republic on Monday, hoping to break out of their initial sluggishness.

The Hawks were constrained to a 1-1 draw by severe rivals South Africa in the Uyo final on Friday, taking off their chances of coming to USA, Canada, and Mexico 2026 hanging by a string as they sit fifth within the table with fair three focuses.Sometime recently Nigeria’s draw on Friday, the gather had an impossible pioneer in Lesotho, who shocked Zimbabwe 2-0 absent from domestic to move to the beat of the table with five focuses.Sitting two focuses behind the beat spot, the bunch remains open, but the threat of losing another successive World Cup is gazing Nigerians in their faces.Ahead of today’s clash, the Falcons arrived in Ivory Coast, Benin Republic received domestic ground for the qualifiers on Sunday and held their preparation session at the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Stadium, where they played most of their matches in January amid the 2023 Africa Glass of Countries.”We’re exceptionally much mindful of why we are here and what we need to do.

The players need to go to the World Glass and they have settled to grant their all in each amusement going forward. We had our openings against South Africa on Friday and ought to have won, but that’s gone and we confront another challenge now,” head coach Finidi George said on the team’s entry in Ivory Coast.”We have resolved not to see as well distant ahead in this race.

The quintessence is to require it one coordinate at a time. The Benin Republic is in our front presently, and we must bargain with that squarely.”Benin Republic is driven by previous Hawks coach Genort Rohr, who drove Nigeria to their final World Container appearance in 2018.Named a qualifying ace during his time with Nigeria, Rohr would be glad to be ahead of Nigeria within the group, at least by a point, as he faces his previous bosses for the first time. The Squirrels are third within the bunch with four focuses.Aside from the previous coach’s information of the Nigerians, Rohr’s right hand Tunde Adelakun, a Nigerian, was moreover the Eagles’ previous head of scouting.

Their squad too has two players of Nigerian descent Junior Olaitan and Tosin Aiyegun.”We know Nigeria contains a great group. They’ve got great players like Victor Boniface and Ademola Lookman who are within the top of their frame at the minute. We’ll do our conceivable best to win the game,” Troyes midfielder Olaitan said.

The diversion will kick off at 5 pm Nigerian time with Gabonese official Pierre Ghislain Atcho as middle arbitrator. He will be helped by Ethiopian authorities Temesgin Samuel Atango and Tigle Gizlaw Belachew as partner officials 1 and 2, whereas Cameroonian Antoine Max Effa Essouma will be the fourth official.Djamel Haimoudi from Algeria will be the official assessor, with Burkinabe David Yameogo as commissioner and Ivorian Atte Claude Elloh as security officer.