Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has stated that the team needs to improve if they are to stand any chance of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Nigeria are currently preparing for their international friendly against Russia on Friday, June 6, after emerging victorious in the Unity Cup last weekend, defeating Jamaica in a penalty shootout.

Chelle, who was appointed by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) earlier this year, was tasked with leading the Super Eagles to the 2025 African Cup of Nations in Morocco while reviving Nigeria’s FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign after a poor start.

The Malian tactician believes the Unity Cup tournament provided a great opportunity to assess the squad and give new players a chance ahead of the resumption of World Cup qualifiers in September.

“We have an important goal in September. So I saw this as an opportunity to give many players a chance to show what they can do. And I’m really happy and proud of them because, in just two or three training sessions, they worked really hard. That’s the reality,” Chelle said.

“During the Unity Cup, we scored goals, created chances, and showed some very good things in our game. But of course, we still need to work. We have weaknesses. We need to improve, to step up as a group and as a team, especially if we want to qualify for the World Cup.”

“The most important thing for me is that we play together—both in defense and offense. We need to improve all the time, mentally and physically. We must become warriors on the pitch.”

The Super Eagles have four crucial World Cup qualifier games remaining: against Rwanda (home) and South Africa (away) in September, followed by Lesotho (away) and the Benin Republic (home) in October.

WDN