Super Eagles captain, William Troost-Ekong, has assured Nigerian fans that his team will step onto the pitch with confidence but without arrogance as they prepare to face South Africa’s Bafana Bafana in a crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Tuesday night.
The highly anticipated encounter, set for the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein, carries extra emotional weight following Nigeria’s dramatic penalty shootout victory over the same opponents in the semi-finals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Côte d’Ivoire.
But Ekong insists that past glories will count for little when the whistle blows at 6 p.m. local time (5 p.m. Nigerian time).
“We defeated them at the Africa Cup, but that is in the past, and some changes have been made to both teams since then,” said Ekong, who was named Man of the Competition at the last AFCON.
“Our approach will be devoid of arrogance; we will play with level heads and go all out for victory. There will be no arrogance, but we will not be diffident either.”
The experienced defender emphasised that the Super Eagles respect their South African counterparts but remain firmly focused on their ultimate goal—securing a place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“South Africa is a good team that we respect, but we just have to go on the pitch and play our game. Our objective has not changed; we want to go to the FIFA World Cup finals next year,” he said.
Meanwhile, head coach Eric Chelle, who took over Nigeria’s qualifying campaign midstream, is confident in his reshaped squad’s ability to claim maximum points.
“We have come here to play for the three points, so we will be sending out the team that will get the job done,” Chelle said. “We are happy to have overcome Rwanda, but we have to conquer here tomorrow in order to be in a good position for the qualification.”
Under Chelle, the Super Eagles have taken seven points from a possible nine, showing a marked improvement after a sluggish start to the qualifiers.
The coach believes his team now has the momentum—and the belief—to change the narrative.
Ahead of the match, Nigeria’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Tope Ajayi, visited the team after their final training session on Monday and delivered a rousing message of support.
“I have the confidence that we will win, and many South Africans also believe that Nigeria will win,” Ajayi told the players. “We should go out there and play with gusto, confidence, and courage, and refuse to be intimidated by anything”.
