The Super Eagles chances of qualifying for next year’s World Cup have received a massive boost as they have officially emerged as one of the highest ranked teams by FIFA should they reach the Intercontinental Playoffs.
Nigeria will only need to win one match in the intercontinental playoffs in March in Mexico to book their ticket to the World Cup finals!
Before that, the team must first come out on top in a mini-tournament taking place in Morocco between November 13th and 16th, featuring Nigeria, Cameroon, DR Congo, and Gabon.
If the Super Eagles win both of their matches and advance, they’ll automatically be seeded directly into the final round of the intercontinental playoffs — thanks to their strong FIFA ranking.
Panama at 29th will be the highest ranked followed by Nigeria (45) to make them the top seeds ahead of Costa Rica (47), Cameroon (52), Iraq (58), DR Congo (60), UAE (67), Jamaica (69), Bolivia (77), Gabon (79), Curacoa (86) and New Caledonia (150).
Nigeria will open their campaign on November 13 in Morocco against Gabon with the winners battling either Cameroon or DR Congo for the sole CAF ticket to the Intercontinental Playoffs.
In that stage, Nigeria will face one of the semi-final winners, specifically the lowest-ranked among them, giving our boys a real edge!
Here’s a look at the current FIFA rankings for all the potential intercontinental playoff teams:
Panama — 29th
Nigeria — 45th
Costa Rica — 47th
Cameroon — 52nd
Iraq — 58th
DR Congo — 60th
UAE — 67th
Jamaica — 69th
Bolivia — 77th
Gabon — 79th
Curaçao — 86th
New Caledonia — 150th
With these numbers, it’s safe to say — Nigeria is in a strong position, all the hard work, consistency, and strategy by the technical crew and the players seems to be paying off.
