Nigeria’s emphatic 4-0 victory over Benin keeps our 2026 World Cup hopes alive – and for former Super Eagles striker and Bet9ja ambassador Victor Ikpeba, it was a performance that offered pride and frustration in equal measure.
Speaking after the match, Ikpeba reflected on what was both a dominant win and a missed opportunity.
“It could have been nice to qualify directly. It’s not something to celebrate now, but we have to take that,” he said. “If our boys had been focused from the beginning, we shouldn’t be where we are today.”
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The Group
Nigeria’s 17 points from Group C were not enough to finish top ahead of South Africa, who sealed automatic qualification with victory over Rwanda. Ikpeba believes the group should have been wrapped up long before the final matchday.
“Looking at that group, the only country that should be a stumbling block should be South Africa,” he continued. “But if we are serious and committed, we should have been able to do the job against them. Credit to South Africa, though – it’s always good to have a good start in any World Cup campaign or football tournament. You don’t have a good start, playing catch-up is always very difficult.”
Despite the disappointment of missing out on automatic qualification, Ikpeba praised the performance against Benin, which he described as a statement win for Eric Chelle’s side.
“I thought we were always going to beat Benin. With the momentum we had at the moment, with the new manager, there’s a lot of belief and unity in the team,” he said. “To beat them 4-0, I think this must be one of their worst matches so far in the World Cup campaign. It was good for us. The early goal did it.”
The Play-Offs
The Super Eagles will now turn their attention to the CAF play-offs, where they face Gabon on November 13 in Morocco, with the winner meeting either Cameroon or DR Congo for a place in the inter-confederation play-offs. Ikpeba warned that Gabon will be no pushovers.
“We have to focus on Gabon. It’s all about the mindset. The game is going to be in Morocco, on neutral ground,” he said. “Gabon tends to play well away from home, and most of their players play in France. Aubameyang is back in form – with his age and experience, we have to tighten up at the defense. It’s not going to be a giveaway. You have to earn it.”
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Ikpeba remains confident, however, that Nigeria have the quality to progress if they approach the play-offs with full focus.
“On paper, when you look at the Nigerian squad, maybe only Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, or Ghana can produce the type of players we have. It’s left for the boys to do this,” he explained. “This play-off should be an inspiration for them to go and look for the ticket to qualify for the World Cup, but they have to fight for every game now.”
The former Monaco striker also looked back on the earlier stages of the campaign, pointing to dropped points against Lesotho and Zimbabwe as decisive.
“We didn’t do the job at home against Lesotho. That was shocking. We didn’t do the job against Zimbabwe either – that’s where we didn’t get it right,” he said. “If we had done the job against those two teams, we would be topping the group.”
For Ikpeba, the lesson is clear: talent alone isn’t enough.
“Credit to South Africa – they had a good start, and most of their key players play domestic football in Africa,” he noted. “It shows that names are not enough to win games in African football.”
The Super Eagles will regroup for November’s CAF play-offs in Morocco, knowing that victory there would put us two matches away from a place at the 2026 World Cup.
