The Super Eagles are not in an easy 2025 AFCON qualifying group and must therefore have to fight to reach the tournament proper in Morocco, according to former international Victor Ikpeba.
Nigeria have again been drawn against 2026 World Cup qualifying rivals Benin and Rwanda as well as Libya for a place at next year’s AFCON.
Only the top two teams in each qualifying group will advance to Morocco 2025.
“The team have to fight, they have to step up because this is not an easy group,” warned the 1997 African Player of the Year.
“Benin, for example, taught us some lessons just last month.
“The players have to put Nigeria first because some of them still don’t know what it takes to play for the national team.
“No player is bigger than the country because as many of these players are who they are today because of the platform Nigeria provided for them.
“Getting decent results in the AFCON qualifiers will most certainly help team confidence going into the World Cup qualifiers next year.”
Ikpeba, who is also a long-serving member of the NFF technical committee, also maintained that the NFF must have to support whoever is the next coach of the Super Eagles.
“The NFF must fully support the next coach of the Super Eagles. They must support him to clamp down on the many excesses that have destroyed the team in the last 10 years.”
