It is going to be all or nothing when Nigeria and Gabon face off in one of the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup African playoffs at the Complexe Sportif Prince Heritier Moulay Al Hassan in Rabat, Morocco, on Thursday (today).

Nigeria, Gabon, DR Congo, and Cameroon are the four African countries vying for a potential spot at the World Cup scheduled for the USA, Canada, and Mexico. The winners of the two semi-finals will face off in the final on Sunday, and the eventual winner proceeds to the intercontinental playoffs by March 2026.

For Nigeria and Gabon, today’s encounter will be their 10th meeting.

Nigeria have been victorious in five of nine previous encounters with Gabon, while three of the nine matches have ended in draws.

Gabon’s only triumph – a 2-1 win in a World Cup qualifier on 25th June 1989 – ultimately cost Nigeria a ticket to Italia ’90 as the Eagles failed to secure the draw needed against Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions in Yaounde on the final day of the series.

Having been distracted by a training boycott over disputed bonuses, the odds are stacked against the Super Eagles to avoid a second consecutive miss at the World Cup.

To get the job done, they must prove doubters wrong with a statement win against Gabon before the potential clash against DR Congo or Cameroon.

For their 10th meeting, all eyes will also be on the two most influential figures for Nigeria and Gabon – Victor Osimhen and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who carry far more than just goals on their shoulders. How they perform across 90 minutes or more could determine who advances in the pursuit of a potential spot at the World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.

Osimhen: Nigeria’s poster boy

Osimhen’s growing influence is undeniable. He is perhaps why the Super Eagles are in the playoffs.

After missing the first five games in the series, Osimhen turned up in the last five matches, producing six goals and one assist – including a propelling hat-trick against the Benin Republic on the final day.

At the club level, he has had a decent season for Galatasaray despite being slowed down by injury. In 12 games across all competitions, Osimhen has scored nine goals for the Turkish champions, including a hat-trick against Ajax in the UEFA Champions League.

Those club numbers matter because they translate directly into what Osimhen offers Nigeria. He is not just a finisher; he is the focal point of attacks, an aerial and direct threat who drags opposition defenders out of position and creates space for teammates like Ademola Lookman and Moses Simon.

For the Super Eagles, he has been prolific too — rising rapidly up Nigeria’s all-time scoring charts and consistently converting chances at the international level. He now has 29 in 44 games for Nigeria.

Other potential threats flanking Osimhen are the ever-present Moses Simon, reigning African Player of the Year Ademola Lookman, and Samuel Chukwueze, who turned up in style against the Benin Republic.

Aubameyang: Gabon’s panther

Gabon were the best among the best second-placed teams in the playoffs, and the 36-year-old Aubameyang was one of the drivers of their ambitions in the nail-biting qualifying series, where they missed out on the automatic ticket by a point.

The Panthers scored 22 goals, with the Marseille striker contributing seven of them in five appearances. That included four goals against the Gambia in the penultimate game of the series. At the club level, he has kept performing too, with five goals and five assists in 11 games for Marseille this season. Before scoring last Saturday, he hadn’t scored in his last six games for Marseille, but had three assists, meaning that he could also create.

Auba will be relying on services from Mario Lemina, Guélor Kanga, Jim Allevinah, Louis Ameka Autchanga, Noha Lemina, and Yoann Wachter.

Who will stop Osimhen and Aubameyang?

Aside from these two, other players, especially defenders, who would aim to stop them also become crucial to the potential outcome of the game.

Osimhen’s threat in the air and in one-on-one situations will be something to cope with for Gabon defenders, including Aaron Appindangoye, who plays for Sivasspor in the same league as Osimhen. Others who will hope to stop the Nigerian striker are Bruno Ecuele Manga, and Lloyd Palun.

To stop Aubameyang, the task might fall on the shoulders of the 20-year-old Benjamin Frederick, who hasn’t put a foot wrong since his debut for Nigeria in May. If called into action, captain William Troost-Ekong and Calvin Bassey must be up to Auba’s threat as well.

In a one-off game that determines the fate of both teams, it might also come down to the goalkeepers, especially if the game goes into penalties.

If there is ever a time for Stanley Nwabali to regain the full confidence of Nigerians, it would be in these playoffs.