Official preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup African playoffs have begun for Nigeria’s Super Eagles as head coach Eric Chelle reached Rabat, Morocco, on Monday with vita players Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey, Samuel Chukwueze, Tolu Arokodare, and newcomer Olakunle Olusegun.
Additionally landing to arrange logistics ahead of the vital qualifiers were officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) were involved in arranging logistics ahead of the vital qualifiers.
The News Chronicle gathered that the team’s camp, based at the Rive Hotel in Rabat, opened with early arrivals settling in for the first phase of training. More players are expected to join today as the Super Eagles prepare to face Gabon in their opening playoff fixture on Thursday.
According to the NFF, full training sessions will commence once all invited players report to camp. Nigeria is grouped with Gabon, DR Congo, and Cameroon in a four-team playoff, with the eventual winner advancing to the inter-confederation playoffs that will determine the final slots for the expanded 48-team World Cup.
Nigeria’s opening match against Gabon promises to be intense, as both nations eyes a step closer to qualification. The winner of the Nigeria-Gabon match will face the winner of the Cameroon-DR Congo match-up in a decisive fixture on November 16 to determine Africa’s representative for the World Cup playoff.
Meanwhile, FIFA has confirmed that the draws for the 2026 inter-confederation and European playoffs will be held on November 20 in Zurich, Switzerland. This will come just four days after the African playoff final, adding anticipation to the qualification story.
The world football body revealed that 22 teams will compete for the remaining World Cup slots through playoff routes. The tournament, scheduled to take place across Canada, the United States, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 2026, will be the first to feature 48 nations.
The upcoming November window will therefore be decisive, as teams from Africa, Asia, and the Americas battle to secure their places at nantional football’s biggest stage.
