Finidi George must make sure Super Eagles qualify for 2026 World Cup – Victor Ikpeba

Nigeria’s imperative is to secure a spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a goal that gains urgency with the recent appointment of Finidi George as the head coach of the Super Eagles, as officially announced by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Monday, April 29.

The Super Eagles have yet to clinch a victory in the qualifiers, having drawn their initial two matches against Lesotho and Zimbabwe. Victor Ikpeba, a member of the NFF technical committee, emphasizes the importance of Finidi’s readiness to guide the Eagles through this challenge.

“In the month of June, Nigeria will play the games of their lives against South Africa and Benin,” Ikpeba told SuperSport.

“We are on the back foot after we drew our first two World Cup qualifiers and so we have to win the next games.

“We have the players and if Finidi can get the best out of them, we will qualify for the World Cup.”

Ikpeba also said the new coach will also be expected to give home based players a chance to play for the Super Eagles.

“He lives here, he works here (as coach of NPFL champions Enyimba),” he said.

“He will give the local players a chance in his team.

“He will have to look inwards, that’s how we got the player Finidi George.”