In preparation for the next phase of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, former Super Eagles coach, Gernot Rohr, has named his Benin Republic team to face the Super Eagles, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Nigeria is set to face South Africa on June 7 at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo before heading to Abidjan’s Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny three days later for a match against Rohr’s Benin Republic team.
The Eagles and the Squirrels are both in Group C of the World Cup qualifiers and are scheduled to face each other next month.
Since taking over the Benin coaching position in February 2023, Rohr has managed 10 games, securing just one victory, drawing four times, and suffering five defeats.
Rohr is determined to change the team’s fortunes as he prepares to face his former team. To this end, the Franco-German coach has named a 25-man squad.
This squad comprises 19 professionals playing at various European clubs and six home-based players selected from the local league.
Nigeria has drawn their first two matches in the series against Zimbabwe and Lesotho, placing them in third position, trailing the group leaders Rwanda with four points and South Africa with three points.
Acknowledging the strengths of the Eagles squad, Rohr remarked, “They are only two points behind the group leaders (Rwanda), and that is an advantage they can overturn in the next round. We cannot rule out a team with the quality of the Nigerian team. Every team in the group knows it.”
The Eagles last qualified for the global football tournament in Russia in 2018, missing out on Qatar 2022 after a play-off defeat to their eternal rivals, Ghana.
The Squirrels are expected to depart Cotonou for Abidjan on Monday, where they will train on the same pitch that will host their match against the Super Eagles.
During his five-year tenure in charge of the Eagles, Rohr led the team through a total of 64 matches. Under his leadership, the team secured 35 victories, endured 13 losses, and recorded 16 draws.
A highlight of his tenure was achieving a third-place finish at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
