By AUGUSTUS ISICHEI IRAQ booked their place in the intercontinental play-offs for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a dramatic 2–1 win over the UAE in Basra, sealing a 3–2 aggregate triumph. The match exploded into chaos deep into stoppage time—17 minutes into added time—when Amir Al-Ammari buried a VAR-awarded penalty to complete Iraq’s comeback […]
By FRED LONGJOHN OBEH NIGERIA’S Super Eagles coach, Éric Chelle, has suggested that a ritualistic act, or “juju,” performed by a DR Congo technical staffer affected his team during Sunday’s World Cup playoff final. Chelle told reporters that the DR Congo staff member appeared to perform repeated ritual gestures, involving water or similar objects, each […]
By AUGUSTUS ISICHEI NIGERIA’S failure to reach the 2026 FIFA World Cup was not sealed by a missed penalty in Rabat — it was authored long before the shootout. Sunday night’s 1–1 draw and 4–3 defeat on penalties to DR Congo merely exposed a deeper truth: the Super Eagles are a team running on fumes, […]
By AUGUSTUS ISICHEI FIFA has named Moroccan referee Jalal Jayed to officiate the decisive World Cup qualifying playoff between Nigeria’s Super Eagles and DR Congo. Jayed, 38, who handled Nigeria’s 2–0 win over Rwanda earlier in the qualifiers, will lead an all-North African officiating team for the must-win clash that will determine Africa’s sole representative […]
By AUGUSTUS ISICHEI Nigeria and DR Congo will battle for a place in next year’s inter-confederation World Cup play-off when they meet in Sunday’s decisive qualifier in Rabat. The Super Eagles head into the final buoyed by their dramatic 4–1 extra-time win over Gabon, a match that swung wildly before goals from Chidera Ejuke and […]
By TAYO TAIWO (T.T.) OLUWOLE A late goal from Chancel Mbemba sent DR Congo past Cameroon 1–0 on Thursday, ending the Indomitable Lions’ hopes of reaching the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Mbemba turned in a corner in stoppage time to seal the win in a tense, rain-soaked semi-final of the African play-offs in Rabat. The […]
By AUGUSTUS ISICHEI NIGERIA’S World Cup playoff preparations hit a major snag on Tuesday as the Super Eagles boycotted training in Rabat, Morocco, over unpaid bonuses and allowances, reigniting concerns about the Nigeria Football Federation’s (NFF) handling of players’ welfare. Led by captain William Troost-Ekong, the players refused to train ahead of Thursday’s crucial semi-final […]
By AUGUSTUS ISICHEI SUPER Eagles midfielder Alex Iwobi has sparked outrage among Nigerian football fans after sharing a video showing the poor state of the hotel assigned to the national team ahead of their 2026 FIFA World Cup playoff against Gabon in Morocco. In the footage, which quickly went viral on social media, Iwobi captured […]
By FRED LONGJOHN OBEH THE Democratic Republic of Congo has unveiled a powerful 25-man squad ahead of their crucial CAF World Cup qualifying playoff clash with Cameroon, set for November 13, 2025, at the Stade El Barid in Rabat, Morocco. Head coach Sébastien Desabre has assembled a formidable team that fuses international pedigree with emerging […]
THE Super Eagles of Nigeria revived their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification hopes on Saturday, securing a crucial 1-0 victory over Rwanda at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. Nigeria dominated from the outset, creating several chances before finally breaking the deadlock in the second half through Tolu Arokodare’s clinical strike. Osimhen’s […]