₦airaland Forum

solonnachi:
What sins did Tony Payne and Rinsola Babajide commit to be left out of this squad?
And what quality does Taiwo Afolabi bring to this team?

I heard Rinsola was injured.

Elock1:
Who is this?

Wrong answers only.

Tinubu

Lol. Majority of African Twitter is rooting for Gabon against Nigeria in the upcoming playoffs because of the Burkina Faso situation. This is hilarious, but it also shows you how easy it is for people to be dishonest and argue out of ignorance with all confidence.

I can understand getting upset that the rules didn't favor you, but trying to make it come across like it was Nigeria's fault is where these bumbling clowns lose me.

Fulham might be losing but see the beautiful ball Iwobi is playing.

Why can't we pair Ndidi with Onyedika or Onyeka, instead of forcing Iwobi into a DM role that is clearly not his strongest suit?

Ragingthunder:
I can't wait for south Africa to be humiliated on the world stage,An opponent of South Africa is a friend of mine

I blame the NFF and Finidi George for bathing us with spit.

On a normal day, when we want to talk of rivals, South Africa aren't even in the top 5 of African countries that we worry about in international competitions. They barely make top 10.

Our true rivals are: Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, Egypt

Occasionally we also drag with: Algeria, Tunisia, Ivory Coast

Anyone after these nations are our kid brothers. We honestly should be paying them no mind.

Mujtahida:
Yes I agree that these nations are the big guns but I do not see them as being high achievers at the world cup on a consistent basis. That distinction belongs to Germany, France, Brazil, Argentina, England, Holland, Spain (recently sef) We need to do better.

I made a mistake about Morocco. They got to the semis at Qatar. I think Morocco first qualified in 86(checked 1970) and didn't show up again until 1994 and then 98 with Mustapha Hadji. They were knocked out first round. They were absent until 2018. Now they've qualified back to back.

I believe with this expanded quota, the big guns will be more consistent in qualifying for the Mundial.

To be fair, I wasn't comparing them to the likes of Spain and Argentina etc. lol. That would be a stretch obviously. I'm talking of comparative performance among CAF teams. Cameroon, Morocco and Nigeria have had the most WC appearances. Given the overall poor performance of CAF teams in general when it comes to the World Cup, the fact that they have been frequent competitors is relatively impressive.

CAF teams obviously need to step up their game, but I'm just drawing the line between teams like Cameroon and for instance... Mali, when it comes to global competitions.

Mujtahida:
No African team performs consistently.
Nigeria blazed in 94 and got to the second round and since then has been stuck on the second floor.

Cameroon, Senegal, Ghana and recently Morocco have reached the Semi finals one time each.

But I do believe that we will perform very well this time around.

Nigeria has been in the Round of 16 three times (1994, 1998, 2014), which remains the highest number of knockout stage appearances for African teams. They've also won the highest number of World Cup games as CAF representatives. That is World Cup consistency for any African nation.

Also, your facts on the deep runs are off: only Morocco has reached the Semi-Finals. Cameroon, Senegal, and Ghana all peaked one round earlier in the Quarter-Finals. Subsequent outings haven't really favored them too. I don't think Cameroon has managed to qualify out of the group stage since 1990. Same for Ghana after the 2010 WC.

My point still stands regardless: those 6 nations I mentioned are the Big 6 from CAF when it comes to global football.
Egypt and Tunisia are 7th and 8th based on number of WC appearances, but like we've already noted, they don't really perform well at the WC.

Deltamani:
E Dey funny me sha, imagine Taiwo Afolabi. She’s talented but for the SuperFalcons she is not in that level and not that player the team even need because she can’t even match the regulars players in that position level talk more of displacing them..

Why not give it to the deserving players?

Imagine inviting Kafayat for what exactly?? Is she the best home based forward Capital NO..

Monday Gift and Edna Imade deserves that spot, at least Spain didn’t invite Imade which shows she’s probably waiting for Nigeria 🇳🇬

Thank God we've already won our 10th WAFCON trophy. This Madugu of a guy is going to be exposed soon. I just pray we can at least make the semi-finals so that we can go to the World Cup.

BankyGee:
This is why I want us to go to the World Cup! WE WILL COOK!

Make them first give us Jordan for a start 😂

I swear, make we use that game build confidence. 🤣🤣

Spainever:
My problem with Tunisia is that when they qualify ,they struggle to win a single match at the world cup.

Same goes for Egypt.

The African teams that consistently perform on the global stage when it comes to senior men's football: Morocco, Algeria, Cameroon, Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal.

No matter how rubbish these 6 teams are at the continental level, when they get to the global stage, they must always shine. Also, these are the only African teams so far that have pulled major upsets at the World Cup.

Mujtahida:
Ekong has to be there oo. He provides leadership which is very important.

If you mean that he should be there on the bench, no wahala. I no argue that one. It's even good because he can assist if things get into penalty shootouts.

But starting on the pitch, make Dem no even think am. He can be giving motivation from the sidelines abeg.

We don enter knockout format. We have to be at the very top of our defensive game.

joelsteron:
We need planB . Thank God for Adams. But super eagles is screaming Orban and Ejuke...
Bitter Truth is Osimhen might not be always available.

Exactly my thoughts. The problem with the SE sometimes is that when they find a style that clicks, they abuse it till it gets painfully predictable. No plan B. That's how South Africa and Ivory Coast clocked us at the last AFCON and put us on the back foot. We managed to beat SA but we all know how the story ended.

If anything should happen to Osimhen, we're screwed. Not saying the rest are unreliable, but now is the perfect time for Chelle to brainstorm contingencies to avoid getting figured out in the playoffs.

Another thing we need to watch out for is fatigue. I don't know how the Gabon game is going to be, but if we can, we need to try and get the game done and dusted under 90 mins. Going to extra time and/or penalties might put us at a disadvantage against our opponents going into the second game just 3 days later, especially if the DRC vs Cameroon fixture ends in normal game time. The winner of that match will be better rested, and that should count for something. If we must play penalties, let it be in the second game.

Pundits in the house,

What's the deal with Gift Orban and why does he keep getting ignored? That dude is swift, skillful and pacey. What gives?

It honestly bothers (and annoys) me the amount of untapped potential and depth we have in the squad, and yet we keep relying on the same players over and over - sometimes to diminishing returns like in the case of Troost-Ekong

Elock1:
Let's say they sacrificed it for a bigger stage

No be only sacrifice. They finished dead last. 😂

Mujtahida:
Guys, elyte89, ChrisKels, chrisooblog, kennysville, TheSuperNerd, Kog45, Charlesemeka85, Odunayaw, Cocony, mekabuachi, QueenJazz, mostob, BankyGee, MetalJigsaw, forgiveness, solonnachi, Truidstarr, Joebie, COOL10, Meliforme and others too numerous to mention

Make una watch this podcast by Oliseh discussing some salient issues in relation to the playoffs. Interesting conversation featuring Edafe Elegbete


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnN5GMzgc5A?si=CKIPPQxyY7udleas

Lol. I just watched it this morning sef. A lot of interesting insight in here. I know people love to pile on and castigate the 94 set, but if there's anyone among that set that I still regard to a tiny little extent, it's Oliseh. Mostly because he's articulate and knows how to make solid arguments.

Like they said, we shouldn't be celebrating the playoffs like it's a World Cup ticket. But given how abysmally we started the campaign, and our standings before the SA points deduction and Eritrea factor, it's a huge miracle that we're still competing for a spot at the mundial.

Also, I agree with his argument that the defense needs to be more tightened and disciplined.

minfelix:
in the last 5-6-7-8yrs any african team we beat suddenly become our enemy on social media and they start to heavily beef us and wish for the our downfall
SA
Ghana
Cameroon
Zambia
CIV(started during afcon group stage)
Morocco(wafcon effect)
Bfaso(playoff saga)
Lesotho
Zimbabwe
Angola(during afcon)
even tiny Benin don dey dey wish us bad…

But i observe if these teams face each other and beat themselves they dont hold that grudge/beef for long…like this now eehn all of them just gang up now dey hate anything Nigeria all over social media….wetin dey sup na….
Anyways i will blame super eagles generation from 2015 till date that has given most of these teams a head lifter that we are beatable hence whenever we beat them it pains them like we are not suppose to beat them…

Apart from Cameroon, Morocco and sometimes Ghana, we should be infuriated at the audacity of all the other teams to think they can banter with Nigeria in soccer, especially given our pedigree.

Dem don really see us finish.

Mujtahida:
We always have Victors in our team
Victor Igbinoba
Victor Ikpeba
Victor Agali
Victor Moses
Victor Osimhen


Toh Boniface I dey contemplate whether to add your name.

Kog45 any more names?

That's why we're always victorious. 🤓

Okay! Okay! I'll use the door. 🤧

Predator87:
What exactly is the rationale for not inviting Gift Monday?

There is simply no rationale. Evidence of her doings are clear to see. It's sentiments that drive decision making when it comes to Nigerians. That's how it has always been.

Someone said on Twitter that Madugu's football philosophy is still not clear till now. And I still have this nagging belief that the Super Falcons excelled at the last WAFCON not because of Madugu but in spite of him.

TheSuperNerd:
Easy Banky. Easy. Gabon na 15th in Africa. No put Minnow for their name abeg. Whether na Mini or Macro. Minnows are to be found in the 25th - 53rd positions abeg. Lol

This Nwabali's picture cracks me up everytime. I really want him at the WC. 😂

He just needs to cool it a bit and lessen the antics. Enyeama had a colorful personality too, but it didn't get in the way of his focus or attitude towards the game.

TheSuperNerd:
FIFA rankings for October 2025 is out so it is official.

Nigeria vs Gabon in the playoffs just like we expected.

Cameroun vs DRC.

Nigeria and CIV share same points now in the FIFA rankings, 1484 pts so who is 5th in Africa? Lol

Africa's Top 20 below

🇲🇦 Morocco — 1st in Africa | 12th in the World

🇸🇳 Senegal — 2nd in Africa | 18th in the World

🇪🇬 Egypt — 3rd in Africa | 32nd in the World

🇩🇿 Algeria — 4th in Africa | 35th in the World

🇳🇬 Nigeria — 5th in Africa | 41st in the World

🇨🇮 Ivory Coast — 6th in Africa | 42nd in the World

🇹🇳 Tunisia — 7th in Africa | 43rd in the World

🇲🇱 Mali — 8th in Africa | 53rd in the World

🇨🇲 Cameroon — 9th in Africa | 54th in the World

🇿🇦 South Africa — 10th in Africa | 59th in the World

🇨🇩 DR Congo — 11th in Africa | 60th in the World

🇧🇫 Burkina Faso — 12th in Africa | 63rd in the World

🇨🇻 Cape Verde — 13th in Africa | 71st in the World

🇬🇭 Ghana — 14th in Africa | 73rd in the World

🇬🇦 Gabon — 15th in Africa | 77th in the World

🇬🇳 Guinea — 16th in Africa | 80th in the World

🇺🇬 Uganda — 17th in Africa | 83rd in the World

🇿🇲 Zambia — 18th in Africa | 87th in the World

🇦🇴 Angola — 19th in Africa | 89th in the World

🇧🇯 Benin — 20th in Africa | 92nd in the World

Oh wow, nice to see that we've reclaimed the 5th position.

Although I'm curious which international matches caused Ivory Coast to fall back.

Mujtahida:
E no go sweet. ☺️☺️

Lol. I just had this funny visual in my head of us winning the next WAFCON, but instead of celebrating it, we just take the trophy, stroll out of the stadium, get on the bus and head home, because we're bored of winning the trophy and having to jump and celebrate it every year. 😂

Goke7:
When Cameroon faces us just like Ghana they become more charged. It’s gonna be a rivalry clash, forget all those lethargic stuff, they gonna die on that pitch once they see the GWG

They weren't really charged though when we met them in the last AFCON. Lol. I remember that game well, and we frustrated the heck out of them. I don't think they even had a single shot on target.

I agree that they are a dangerous team when focused and charged up, and I even noted this in the comments you quoted. I don't know if you read it to the end.

This CAF playoff is going to be brutal.

Right now, and based on form, either Gabon or DR Congo are our biggest threats in this CAF playoff. Especially DR Congo. Those guys are ferocious and physical. Their star player Yaone Wissa is also very clinical in the final third. However, one good thing about our recent squad is that even on our worst days, other teams still struggle to beat us.

It also helps that for the past couple of games, we have scored at least 1 goal per game. I can't remember the last time we didn't score in a game.

If we lose to any of these two teams (Gabon/DRC), it would probably be through penalties or a single goal difference after a hard fought battle.

We need to lock in and go to war in these next few games.

Cameroon have poor form and structure presently, but when it comes to individual talents in their squad, I think they are the only team that can match us to a certain extent. Thankfully, they suffer from the same casual and lethargic performance our players put up occasionally as well. I'd argue they're even worse than us in that regard. If they come into the playoffs with the same energy they used to play in their group against Cape Verde, Mauritania et al, we'll beat them handsomely for the third time in a row. But if they come with a change of heart: prepared, focused and bloodlusted, they are the most likely to defeat us in this playoffs, or at least, give us a good run for our money.

I'm calling it now, if we can secure the CAF ticket, we're going to the World Cup. 100%.

Mujtahida:
There's truth in his statement oo. SA were not our mates a few years ago. We'd be pitted against them and nobody loses sleep. Today, they have become a thorn in our flesh even more than our traditional rivals. We found ourselves in the same group with them and they nicked the ticket even after 3 points were deducted. This is because they kept on improving their league and it has upped the quality of their national team.

Morocco is another team that has invested heavily in soccer and the results are tumbling in across all strata of footballing competitions.

We are still relying on talent. No structure, no system. The fact is that AS A PEOPLE we lack the mental fortitude to be systematic. Not just that we lack the fortitude, we hate anything systematic, we hate law and order. We like chaos, we even thrive in it because we are a childish and irresponsible people.

The bolded is sooo true, it's both painful and hilarious to read it. 😂

This chaos is part of our culture, for better or worse. That's why Nigerians are generally a very impatient bunch of people. We love shortcuts. We can't fathom the concept of long term planning that will take at least 7-8 years to get sustainable results. You need to look no further than the touts on Twitter who start calling for a player's head after just one bad game.

The Remo Stars vs Mamelodi Sundowns game is taking place this Sunday. 💀💀💀

Icon4s:
The only team I fear in this paly-off is DR Congo

Same here. And I could be mistaken but against DR Congo, we surprisingly don't have a good record. If I recall properly, they've beaten us more times than we've beaten them, which is crazy.

Although to be fair, I don't think we've played many games.

Mujtahida:
😂😂😂 That your boy I no understand am oo but people on Twitter said he played well. Maybe na tension color my view oo.

Olakunle wasn't terrible per se. For me, he was just... there really.

I'd rate him a 6 or a weak 7 over 10. He didn't mess the bed, but didn't really stand out either.

minfelix:
Though that system favoured us, but so unfair to many teams oo🤣🤣….CAF/FIFA going forward need to look for another way to balance things…Steve Yago is nearing his career end with grudges….this guy go soon comot cloth inside bathroom swe@r for CAF/FIFA just like Joe erico and Oliseh did to super eagles🤣🤣

Abeg Burkina Faso players and fans should rest abeg. They're bloody hypocrites. I'm sick and tired of reading their complaints online.

It's the audacity for me: accusing CAF and FIFA of systemic bias when you're attacking a rule that was explicitly designed to ensure equitable comparison across nine groups with unequal number of teams. Just lets you know they don't really care about justice. They only care because they got the short end of the stick.

The teams in the 5-group category, no thanks to Eritrea's withdrawal, would have faced an insurmountable mathematical deficit if Burkina's "easy wins" were counted. Do they care about that? No, because that's not their problem. Afterall it's not their group.

Isn't it funny how people only seek justice when the system doesn't favor them? When it favors them, they won't mind it at all, lol.

They should be livid and hostile towards their own football association (FA), and not FIFA. Their footballing government should have taken note of the Eritrea situation, and anticipated the possibility of getting knocked out of the second place table, and go all out in their last two games against Ethiopia and Sierra Leone.

Abegi!

BankyGee:
😂

See his slippery ogo. Make them just set this man head for me I wan try something.

Unlimited22:
He should be in jail, chained side by side to such criminals as Graham Potter, Erik ten Haram and Andre villas Boas.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Unlimited22:
Lmao

I just randomly remembered that Finidi George, THE COACH OF THE SUPER EAGLES OF NIGERIA, said formation doesn't matter in football.



Chai.

That man still needs special dragging. 😭😭😭

Just imagine if Chelle was the one who came in immediately after JPes stepped down. I know where we for dey by now.

BankyGee:
Fulham coach giving Chukwueze space to start in Fulham's next match 😂

Amen oo 😂😂