Chelle Urges Super Eagles to Stay Focused Ahead of Crucial Lesotho Clash

Super Eagles head coach, Eric Chelle, has called on his players to remain fully focused and maintain high intensity when they face Lesotho in their crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Friday.

Nigeria are still searching for their first win in the qualification series and will be aiming to collect all three points to boost their chances of topping Group C.

The Super Eagles are currently camping in South Africa, with key players such as Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Alex Iwobi, and Wilfred Ndidi all expected to play a part in the encounter.

Speaking ahead of the game, Chelle stressed that qualification for the World Cup is still open to every team in the group and that Nigeria must stay mentally strong to overcome Lesotho, known as the Crocodiles.

“Everybody can go to the World Cup. This is football — anything can happen during the game because of the weather, the referee, injuries, or other factors,” Chelle said. “So, we need to stay focused on what we want from this game.”

The coach also highlighted the need for a strong start and purposeful play against a confident Lesotho side.

“We want to win this game, and then we will think about the next one. But for now, we must be 100% focused on Lesotho — they are a good team with a good coach. We need to start well, play with intensity and aggressiveness, score goals, and win,” he added.

The match is scheduled to kick off at 5:00 p.m. (Nigeria time) and 6:00 p.m. local time. Fans can watch live on SuperSport Football, SuperSport Variety, and NTA Sports, or follow live updates on Soccernet.ng.

The Super Eagles will be hoping to rise to the occasion and get their qualification campaign back on track with victory against Lesotho.