Super Eagles: Can Eric Chelle lead Nigeria to the 2030 World Cup?

Eric Chelle’s management of the Super Eagles has drawn praise from former Nigeria goalkeeper Abiodun Baruwa, who believes the Malian tactician can guide the team to the 2030 FIFA World Cup, Afrik Foot reports.

Baruwa’s assessment comes on the back of Nigeria’s 2026 Unity Cup victory, where the Super Eagles secured wins over Jamaica and Zimbabwe.

It also served as a platform for Chelle to test new talent and assess the depth of his squad ahead of the AFCON 2027 qualification campaign set to kick off in September.

What Baruwa said about Chelle and Nigeria’s future

The former Shooting Stars goalkeeper was particularly impressed by the way Chelle conducts himself around the players away from the glare of matchday.

It was in those quieter moments, away from the camera, Baruwa suggests, that the true character of the Super Eagles coach revealed itself most vividly.

“I saw him having a one-on-one conversation with some of the young players and I was listening,” the former Sturm Graz goalkeeper said in an interview with Austin Okon-Akpan.

“I remember when a coach was talking to me about 30 or 40 years ago and I could hear something like that coming out.”

The one-time NPFL winner acknowledged Nigeria’s painful failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, but was careful to separate the chaos of that qualification cycle from the quality of the coach now tasked with rebuilding.

“We are unlucky a little bit but with this set of players that we have now, with this coach, I think the sky is the limit,” the ex-FC Sion goalkeeper continued.

The Super Eagles boast genuine quality across every position, from Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman in attack, to Emmanuel Fernandez and Calvin Bassey in defence.

Baruwa believes that with the quality of the team, and the work Chelle has done so far, he’s earned the right to remain as the Super Eagles head coach till the 2030 World Cup qualifiers kick off.

“I think he is a good coach for Nigeria. If we stick with him, trust him, he will qualify us for the next World Cup. I believe in that.”

Can Eric Chelle lead Nigeria to the 2030 World Cup?

Eric Chelle has already demonstrated qualities that his predecessors lacked. He has addressed one of the most persistent structural problems that has plagued the Super Eagles for years, transforming the team from a one-player plan, to a squad that can thrive collectively without star players.

The Unity Cup, although not a major tournament, provided Chelle with a further opportunity to expand his talent pool.

Wrexham goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo kept two clean sheets across the tournament on his Super Eagles debut, offering an alternative to the more established names like Maduka Okoye and Stanley Nwabali between the sticks.

The 2030 World Cup qualification campaign will be long, demanding, and unforgiving in the way African football always is. Nigeria will face familiar foes; sadly, one of them being administrative ineptitude, and injuries.

Chelle cannot control all of those variables, but the cohesion he’s built with this team on the pitch, has shown he can harness good results in the midst of chaos.

Additionally, the pain of missing two World Cups should spur the players to fight for what could be the final chance at the Copa Mundial for some of the aged members of the squad.