The Nation Newspaper

Tag: World Cup ticket

  • Super Eagles stars vow to pick  World Cup ticket

    Super Eagles stars vow to pick  World Cup ticket

    Ekong, Ndidi, Moffi, Bassey optimistic

    As  the Super Eagles prepare to take on  the Crocodiles of  Lesotho in  tomorrow’s crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier, key members of the squad have expressed determination to secure victory and get their campaign back on track.

    The quartet of captain Wilfred Troost-Ekong , Wilfred Ndidi. Terem Moffi and Calvin Bassey, told NFFTv that   the Super  Eagles will  ride their  luck and grind the much-needed  wins  in their two  remaining matches to boost their chances nicking  the Mundial ticket at all cost.

    Midfielder Ndidi stressed the importance of the fixture, noting that the team is fully aware of the stakes.

     “We know where we are at the moment. These two games are very crucial. We shall first focus on Lesotho before the one with Benin Republic,” the Besiktas’ man said.

    Defender Bassey  who scored a vital equaliser for the Super Eagles in the 1-1 away draw to Bafana Bafana of South Africa on Match day 8,  emphasized the need for composure and unity as the team looks to bounce back from recent setbacks.

     “We have to remain calm and do what we know how to do best. This is not the first time we shall be in this tough moment,” the hard-working Fulham defender noted confidently.

    Read Also: Aiyegbeni, Oshaniwa berate NFF for blaming  Ekong, Dessers for Super Eagles’ woes 

    Speaking in the same vein, OGC Nice  crafty striker Moffi echoed similar optimism, assuring that the players remain focused on their responsibilities on the pitch.

    “We are confident about qualifying for the World Cup. We have to do our part. We shall do our part and hopefully results from other games are in our favour,” he stated.

    Concluding, William Troost-Ekong reaffirmed the squad’s fighting spirit, insisting that the Super Eagles are ready to give their all for qualification.

     “We are going to fight until we achieve our aim,” the experienced defender declared.

    Currently in Polokwane, South Africa, where they will face Lesotho tomorrow,  the Super Eagles  will  wrap up their  qualifiers at home in Uyo against Cheetahs of Benin .Both matches are expected to play a pivotal role in determining Nigeria’s World Cup qualification hopes.

  • World Cup ticket sales underway amid high demand

    World Cup ticket sales underway amid high demand

    Tickets to next year’s FIFA World Cup officially went on  sale yesterday  despite the fact that not even half of the spots in the 48-team 2026 World Cup field have been claimed.

    What’s more, the schedule of matches won’t be finalized until December. And other than host nations U.S., Canada and Mexico, nobody has any idea where or when they’ll be playing.

    But millions of fans worldwide evidently don’t seem to mind any of those points.

    The buyers will be those who were selected, out of 4.5 million applicants in a lottery that took place last month, to have the first formal chance to purchase tickets over the next few days. FIFA said lottery winners have been, or will soon be, informed by email.

    Read Also: NFF D-License coaching course takes off in Abuja

    There are unique questions for consumers heading into the tournament, particularly about how they’ll get visas, if necessary, to visit the U.S. as the country cracks down on immigration. There are also more traditional concerns such as who, when and where — and none of those will be answered until the draw on Dec. 5. FIFA knows many fans won’t fret about those answers; they’ll just want tickets now and will figure out the rest later.

    “These are not only outstanding figures, but also a strong statement,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said on social media, reacting to the 4.5 million applicants for a spot in the purchase window that opened Wednesday.

    “The whole world wants to be part of the FIFA World Cup 26, the biggest, most inclusive and most exciting event ever. From Canada, Mexico and the United States, to countries big and small across every continent, fans are proving once again passion for football truly unites.”

  • Maroc 2025: Flamingos to battle  Algeria  for World Cup ticket

    Maroc 2025: Flamingos to battle  Algeria  for World Cup ticket

    Nigeria’s Women’s Under 17 national team, the Flamingos, will face-off with  Algeria in the final qualifying round for the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

    The North Africans thrashed Botswana 4-0 in the second leg of their second round tie on Sunday to set up a date with Nigeria’s women’s side who have played in all editions of the cadet women’s World Cup except in 2018 held in Uruguay

    Algeria was beaten 2-1 by Botswana in the first leg but the former progressed to the final round 5-2 on aggregate having dispatched their opponents 4-0 in the reverse fixture played in Algiers.

    Bankole Olowookere-led Flamingos recorded a 5-1 aggregate win over South Africa to also book a passage to the last qualifying round.

    Read Also: Heartland vs. 3SC: NFF suspends two over controversial officiating

    Flamingos won 3-1 in Pretoria and 2-0 in the second leg tie in Ikenne, Ogun state last weekend.

    The clash between Nigeria and Algeria is scheduled for next month with the Flamingos hosting the first leg in Ikenne on April 19th  before the second leg in Algiers on the weekend of April 25th to 27th .

    In the other fixtures across Africa, Kenya that hammered Uganda 5-0 on aggregate will face Cameroon the conqueror of Ethiopia 6-2 on aggregate in the final round.

    Zambia that defeated Tanzania 4-0 on aggregate will slug it out with Benin Republic that thrashed DR Congo 5-0 on aggregate while Cote d’Ivoire that overturned a 3-1 first leg deficit to qualify 4-3 on aggregate will entertain Guinea in the final qualifying round also. The West African ended Sierra Leone’s World Cup hopes 4-3 on aggregate.

  • Toying with World Cup ticket

    Toying with World Cup ticket

    Is Nigeria now a circus? Certainly not.  But our quest for a new Head Coach for the Super Eagles has made the NFF; with due respect, a colony of jesters. Yes, one would have thought that the football eggheads applied common sense in picking Finidi George ahead of Emmanuel Amuneke. One was therefore shocked to read a statement credited to Victor Ikpeba that the federation’s paucity of funds pushed the decision of a new coach to the local coaches who always come cheap.

    I was shocked by this cash-strapped hypothesis knowing what Nigeria stands to gain money-wise by qualifying for the 2026 World Cup slated to be hosted by three countries. The USA, Canada, and Mexico, all qualified automatically. The remaining 45 slots will be filled through qualifying competitions.

    Perhaps, if we had thinking federation chieftains, they ought to have thought outside of the box of ways and means to outsource cash, or is it sponsorship from the corporate world using the federation’s marketing Czar, not those lightweight companies ambushing the body’s franchise.

    The immediate past NFF President Amaju Pinnick, love him or hate him, raised the bar in the quest to make the federation solvent in conjunction with the body’s marketing company.

    Pinnick dragged several firms under different nomenclatures to finance ideas he thought the federation could run its activities without necessarily relying on the government.

    Qualifying for the senior World Cup isn’t an assignment for coaching upstarts no matter his pedigree as a player. Coaching is a different kettle of fish. One isn’t discrediting Finidi George, but his decision to recruit a foreign assistant who would add value to the team’s department puts a lie on those rooting for the Nigerian bench for the Super Eagles. This won’t guarantee Nigeria the 2026 World Cup ticket. It is looking like Nigeria won’t be at the 2026 World Cup even before the first ball is kicked.

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    Indeed, I chuckled at the story which stated that the NFF would pick Finidi’s assistants with names such as Emmanuel Amuneke and Daniel Amokachi being touted. Would NFF have done that to the foreign coaches? Impossible. Rather, the foreign coaches would openly isolate the Nigerian coaches attached to the team and work with those they brought from Europe. NFF members would be moping while the Nigerians are rendered otiose. After all, NFF adopted the alternate rule when they dropped Finidi and Ike Shorunmu from one of the team’s games to save cost. Hmmm!

    Aren’t NFF chiefs jokers? How do you in one breath tell the world that Finidi doesn’t have the requisite UEFA coaching licence to sit on the bench? Yet in another breath, the same NFF picked him as the Head Coach of the Super Eagles on a two-year deal. Wait a minute. Wasn’t it this Finidi, who as an assistant coach of the team was seen struggling the jersey of a top player in Portugal with one of his players? Can he earn the players’ respect? Which respect? Wasn’t it reported that big players in the team refused to shake hands with Finidi for daring to start them from the bench in a friendly game where many changes were allowed?

    My problem with those insisting on having a Nigerian coaching bench is that they are quick to multiply the going rate of the naira to the dollar when the figure of what foreign coaches earn comes to the fore. They forget the huge returns on this kind of investment if the team does well in such a major soccer competition as the senior World Cup.

    I’m a proud Nigerian. I believe in everything about this country with a whopping population figure of over 200 million. I’m a Christian, yet my first and middle names (Adetokunbo and Ohioze) are meaningful Nigerian words from the region where I was born. And of course,  my tribe. Everything about me is Nigerian. I have also visited all the countries where people ‘japa’ to, but I chose to return to my native land.