World Cup Qualifiers: Eagles step up ticket chase, unleash anger on Zimbabwe

The Super Eagles will be eager to build on their renewed momentum from last Friday’s 2-0 victory over Rwanda as they face the Warriors of Zimbabwe today at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, continuing their pursuit of a 2026 World Cup spot.
The Eagles have managed just one win, three draws, and one loss, placing them four points behind group leaders South Africa in the race.
Zimbabwe, meanwhile, have accumulated three points from their first five matches and faces an uphill battle to keep their World Cup dreams alive.​
Historically, Nigeria have maintained a favourable record against Zimbabwe, with four wins, three draws, and one loss in their eight encounters. The Super Eagles are unbeaten in their last seven meetings with the Warriors and are tipped for another win today.
Given their home advantage and superior track record, the Eagles enter the match as the favourites but Zimbabwe’s resilience, as demonstrated in their recent 2-2 draw against Benin after trailing by two goals, indicates that the Warriors are capable of causing the Eric Chelle’s men some troubles.
Team captain William Ekong said they are keen on building on their victory over Rwanda last Friday by controling the game in Uyo and then working hard to get the goals that will give them the three points and fully establish them as one of the contenders for the ticket.
“We are looking forward to a win. The three points are important to us. At this stage, we cannot afford to drop any more points. We aim to take it one match at a time, collect three points here and there and hope fervently that these will be enough to get us the ticket,” he said.
Meanwhile, leaders South Africa, on 10 points, square up to the second-placed Benin Republic, on eight points, at the Stade Félix Houphouet-Boigny in Abidjan in a match starting simultaneously with that of Uyo.
Lesotho, now in fifth place following their defeat by South Africa on Friday, will tackle Rwanda’s Amavubi at Kigali’s Amahoro Stadium in the last match of group C.