Gabon’s head coach, Thierry Mouyouma, has confirmed that his team is fully prepared to face Nigeria’s Super Eagles in the African playoffs for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Gabon finished their qualifying campaign strongly, registering eight wins, one draw, and one loss, accumulating 25 points out of a possible 30. Despite this impressive performance, they narrowly missed out on automatic qualification, finishing just one point behind Group F winners Côte d’Ivoire.
Reflecting on the near miss, Mouyouma told Sport News Africa, “To get 25 points and not qualify is hard to take.” However, his focus is now firmly on the upcoming playoff encounter against Nigeria.
“We are ready. It will be a good match to play and a good test ahead of the 2025 AFCON,” he added.
Nigeria secured second place in Group C behind South Africa, who qualified automatically and will make their first World Cup appearance since 2010.
The African playoffs are scheduled to take place from November 13 to 16 in Morocco. Nigeria will face Gabon, while Cameroon will go up against DR Congo. The winners from these matchups will advance to the intercontinental playoffs set for March 2026 in Mexico.
