The dejection on the faces of the sixty thousand people inside the Moshood Abiola stadium, Abuja after the full-time whistle. The anger, the frustration, and the reality check that Nigeria will not play at the Qatar 2022 World Cup. It was surreal. Ghana had picked the World Cup ticket right on our soil.
A year and months after the game, the memory still haunts. A lot of football fans can still describe what they saw that night. How can they erase these memories? Super Eagles – Let’s Do It Again!
Clear you schedule, join the excitement, show your support….. Join us as we officially launch the #Letsdoitagain campaign for the #SuperEagles of Nigeria on the 17th Of November 2023.#SoarSuperEagles #LetsDoItAgain pic.twitter.com/IaJNG1VDrV
— ?? Super Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) November 13, 2023
Super Eagles – 2023 AFCON
The last qualifying match for the 2023 AFCON saw the Super Eagles wallop Sao Tome and Principe 6-0 on their return to the Godswill Akpabio stadium, Uyo.
After the tantalizing display, the players and backroom staff started to adorn a t-shirt with the inscription -Let’s Do It Again! This was to mobilize every Nigerian to the charge of winning the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
But the words -Let’s Do It Again- go beyond the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. It is time to do it again, which is qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
Super Eagles Road to the 2026 World Cup
The journey to the 2026 World Cup begins on Thursday against the Crocodile of Lesotho. But it is a long journey from now to 2025 as the Super Eagles are grouped with 6 other teams in Group C.
Nigeria will face South Africa, the Benin Republic, Lesotho, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe. The qualifying series will see the winner of the group automatically earn a spot at the Mundial in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
After the dejection fans faced in Abuja, these qualifiers are the real – Let’s Do It Again.
No Star Boy – Victor Osimhen
The Super Eagles will be without talisman – Victor Osimhen for the two ties. Osimhen was the highest goal scorer of the 2023 AFCON qualifiers with 10 goals. He will be a great miss ahead of Lesotho and Zimbabwe although there are adequate replacements with Taiwo Awoniyi and Victor Boniface.
Jose Peseiro also has other options in Terem Moffi, Kelechi Iheanacho, Sadiq Umar, and new boy Nathan Tella for the attacks. Wilfred Ndidi will be the key absentee in midfield. Although Alex Iwobi’s presence will bring experience to the midfield.
The players and the coaching crew are cautious of what happened in March 2022 so they will have it on their minds to Let’s Do It Again, like in 2018.