Former Super Eagles captain Austin Okocha has urged Eric Chelle’s squad to address their biggest flaw, inconsistency, as Nigeria prepare for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Okocha’s message comes as the team is still processing their failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Nigeria’s qualifying campaign for the World Cup ended in failure as they played 10 matches, winning four, drawing five and losing once; a costly defeat to Benin Republic, the first time the Super Eagles had ever lost a competitive fixture to the Cheetahs.
But it was the draws at home against Lesotho and Zimbabwe that fans found most alarming, exposing a frailty in performances that should have been routine victories.
Finishing second behind South Africa meant Nigeria missed out on an automatic World Cup ticket.
A second chance arrived through the continental play-off route, requiring victories over three lower-ranked opponents. After a dramatic 4-1 extra-time win over Gabon, Nigeria’s campaign collapsed once again, this time via penalty shoot-out against DR Congo.
That defeat confirmed Nigeria would miss a second consecutive World Cup, having also failed to qualify for Qatar 2022.
With AFCON 2025 approaching, Okocha believes the lesson from the failed qualifiers must be clear, saying, “Nigeria’s run in the World Cup qualifiers was a rollercoaster, but we would have loved to see Nigeria qualify with ease,” Okocha told RG.
“We all know football is not an easy game, and what I think they should improve on is to be more consistent. They need to stick to winning with top performance in every game.”
The Super Eagles reached the final of the last AFCON in 2024, hosted in Ivory Coast, restoring some pride after missing the 2022 World Cup. Expectations for Morocco 2025 are even higher, especially with the mood again shaped by the sting of another World Cup exit.
Nigeria have been placed in the same group with Tunisia, Uganda and Tanzania, with Eric Chelle expected to navigate the pressure of leading a talented but unpredictable Eagles.
