2026 WCQ: Super Eagles’ date with destiny, venue confirmed by sluggish CAF

The Super Eagles of Nigeria have now learned where their fate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers will unfold, after CAF confirmed the schedule and venues for the African play-off tournament. The four-team showdown, set for Rabat, Morocco, from 13 to 16 November 2025, will determine the continent’s final entrant into the Inter-continental Play-offs.

The next Super Eagles fixture will see Nigeria face Gabon in the opening tie at 17:00 local time (16:00 GMT) on Thursday, 13 November, as head coach Eric Chelle looks to guide the three-time African champions to the brink of another World Cup. The fixture will be staged at the Al Barid Stadium in the Moroccan capital, with Rabat’s Prince Moulay El Hassan Sports Complex also selected as a tournament venue.

Africa’s perennial contenders Cameroon and DR Congo complete the line-up and will square off later that same evening. The winners of both semi-finals will contest the final on Sunday, 16 November, with the prize of an Inter-continental Play-off place on the line.

What’s the road ahead for the Super Eagles of Nigeria?

The withdrawal of Eritrea from qualifying played a role in reshaping Group C standings, and Nigeria ultimately finished as runners-up behind South Africa. Now comes the decisive test: a compact, high-pressure competition where a single misstep could halt the journey to North America.

Gabon, meanwhile, are fuelled by the prospect of breaking new ground. They have never appeared at a World Cup and are buoyed by a qualifying campaign that saw them push African champions Ivory Coast to the limit. With the enduring talent of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang still in their ranks, ambition has never felt more tangible.

Meetings between the sides are usually tense affairs. From nine previous encounters, Nigeria boast five wins, three draws and just one defeat, a narrow loss in a 1989 World Cup qualifier. The most recent victory dates back to 2005, another qualifier settled 2–0 in favour of the Super Eagles.

CAF will conduct a draw on 30 October 2025 to determine which semi-final will be assigned to which of the two Rabat venues, but the stakes are already clear. Only one nation from this quartet will advance to the Inter-continental Play-offs in March 2026, the final gateway to the expanded tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.