- Nigeria's hopes of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup suffered a major blow after the draw against Zimbabwe
- Tawanda Chirewa scored in the 90th minute to cancel out Galatasaray star Victor Osimhen’s brilliant late header
- Super Eagles manager Eric Chelle addressed the devastating draw with honesty about what cost the team a win
Nigeria's hopes of reaching the 2026 FIFA World Cup were dented after a 1-1 draw against Zimbabwe on March 25, 2025, in Uyo.
The result has fans and the team facing the prospect of not seeing the Super Eagles in Mundial action in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Nigeria coach Eric Chelle made an honest admission after a late goal from the Warriors saw his team settle for a lone point.
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Victor Osimhen opened the scoring for the Super Eagles in the 74th minute after Ola Aina flicked on Moses Simon’s cross and the Galatasaray forward converted with a header.
However, Nigeria seemed to become complacent and allowed the Zimbabweans back into the game, with Tawanda Chirewa pouncing on a defensive mix-up in the 90th minute.
The draw at home has left the Super Eagles in a precarious position and they face a real possibility of missing out on the 2026 FIFA World Cup hosted in North America next year.
In the other Group C results, South Africa beat the Benin Republic 2-0 to move up to 13 points at the top of the table and leave Gernot Rohr’s side joint-second with eight points.
Rwanda and Lesotho settled for a 1-1 draw, leaving the Amavubi tied with Benin on eight points while the Crocodiles have six points. Zimbabwe are bottom of the group with four.
Coach Chelle speaks after Nigeria’s WCQ draw
Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle was visibly disappointed during his press conference and admitted that the team made mistakes that cost them victory.
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“We made some mistakes, we were the best team on the pitch. This is football. It is difficult for me to analyse the game right now; we will review it later. We scored, and we [tried] to score another goal,” he said at the presser with Legit.ng in attendance.
Zimbabwe’s goal came as a result of a mix-up in the Nigerian defence, particularly from captain William Troost-Ekong, but Chelle declined to single anyone out.
“I don't want to blame the defenders,” he stated.
The players were also clearly disappointed, with Victor Osimhen visibly upset and not joining his teammates to applaud the home fans after choosing to head straight down the tunnel.
Troost-Ekong missed the post-match conference, while Chelle and his players were locked in the dressing room for over an hour after the match for what was likely an intense debriefing.
Nigeria's World Cup hopes receive boost
Legit.ng previously reported that Nigeria's World Cup hopes were boosted after reports that South Africa fielded an ineligible player in their 2-0 victory against Lesotho.
Despite Bafana Bafana risking a points deduction, the Super Eagles failed to capitalise and drew against Zimbabwe, diminishing their World Cup qualification dreams.
