Super Eagles head coach Eric Sekou Chelle has called on Nigerian fans to turn the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo into a fortress ahead of the crucial World Cup qualifier against Benin Republic. The match, which follows Nigeria’s 2-1 win over Lesotho in Polokwane, is now a must-win if the Super Eagles are to keep their 2026 World Cup hopes alive.
After edging past Lesotho, Eric Chelle acknowledged the pressure the players have felt throughout the qualification campaign.
“Today, we are happy because we won the three points. We’re still alive,” Chelle said. “I’m happy for my players — I want to congratulate them. We feel the pressure, and since March, every time my players come into camp, they feel it too. For Nigeria, for our team, we need to travel, we need to go to the World Cup, so there’s a lot of pressure. This is not an excuse, it’s just the reality.”
Speaking about the Benin game, Chelle emphasized that home fans have a big role to play. He urged supporters to make things difficult for the visitors.
“We need our fans behind us to put a lot of pressure on Benin Republic. We’re in Africa, so we need to make things tough for them. This is the World Cup qualifiers — the game starts when they put their feet in our country. We need to do the job on the pitch.”
At this point, Nigeria is third in Group C with 14 points, one behind South Africa and three behind group leaders Benin. A comfortable win at home in Uyo is the only result that keeps the Super Eagles in contention for qualification.
