Former Super Eagles star, Friday Ekpo, is among those not giving up on the chances of Nigeria playing in next year’s World Cup.
Ekpo, a former Nigerian midfielder, is optimistic the West African football powerhouse will be travelling to Mexico, Canada and US next year.
Ekpo said it would take him until the final day of the qualifying series to believe that Nigeria is not going to the World Cup.
He said this despite the Super Eagles playing a 1-1 draw against South Africa in Bloemfontein on Tuesday.
Many football analysts and fans believe that the Super Eagles’ failure to secure maximum points away to South Africa on Tuesday has further dented their hopes of qualification.
There are two matches left and South Africa are occupying the top spot in Group C with 17 points, with Benin Republic second on 14 points while the Super Eagles are on 11 points.
Ekpo told Completesports that Nigeria can still qualify for the tournament by winning their remaining two games.
“The Super Eagles’ hope of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup is not over yet.
“The most important thing at the moment is for the team to win their remaining two games and hope other countries from other groups fail to get higher points.
“So, I still believe that the Super Eagles will make it to football’s biggest showpiece. The draw against South Africa doesn’t mean that we are out of the World Cup race.
“Until the final game, I am still optimistic Nigeria can qualify for the World Cup.”
Benin Republic and Lesotho are the next opponents of the Super Eagles in the final round of matches in October.
Benin Republic beat Lesotho 4-0 to maintain their grip on the second spot of Group C.