Former Super Eagles winger Tijani Babangida says lifting the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title in Morocco would help erase the disappointment of failing to qualify for next year’s World Cup, SportPremi reports.
Nigeria missed out on consecutive editions of the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1994, after failing in their bid to reach the 2026 tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The three-time African champions suffered an agonizing penalty shootout defeat to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the CAF playoff final last month, following a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes of action.
They reached the final of the last edition in Ivory Coast, but suffered heartbreak in the final, losing 2-1 to the host nation.
How Nigerian missed the 2026 FIFA World Cup
Nigeria finished second in group C of the CAF qualifying series, behind South Africa who clinched the available automatic slot from the group.
The Super Eagles then qualified for the CAF playoff rounds to determine the continent’s representative at the intercontinental playoff stage.
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They recorded a comprehensive 4-1 win over Gabon in the first round, while the Democratic Republic of Congo edged Cameroon by a lone goal.
DR Congo then progressed to the intercontinental playoff after victory over Nigeria, where they will battle New Caledonia or Jamaica.
What Babangida said
Nigeria will kickstart their AFCON tournament against Tanzania on the 23rd of this month, before facing Tunisia in their second clash three days later.
They conclude action on the 30th against Uganda, before heading to the knockout rounds of the competition.
Speaking in an interview, former Ajax winger Babangida expressed confidence in the quality of the Super Eagles to clinch victory in the tournament.
“I think that after the unfortunate experience of missing the FIFA World Cup back to back, it is still very painful to digest this reality”, the ex-Nigerian forward admitted.
“However, the next target is the AFCON tournament, which can be used to redeem the image of Nigeria football. For NFF, the players and football stakeholders, all we have now is the AFCON. So, we have to do everything we can to win the tournament.
“The tournament will not be easy, all the major African teams that qualified for the 2026 World Cup are also there, but the Super Eagles may surprise the world and go all the way”, he continued.
“I think the team can bring the Cup back to Nigeria after more than 12 years. I see Nigeria playing in the final, at least and anything can happen in cup final. Super Eagles played in the final of the last edition. The team lost to Cote d’Ivoire 2-1.”
