‘We’ve managed to rescue ourselves from the dead’ - Iwobi confident Super Eagles can qualify for the World Cup

After failing to qualify for the 2022 tournament in Qatar, Nigeria's hopes for the 2026 World Cup looked bleak. 

The team's campaign began disastrously, with just three points from their first four matches, leaving them fifth in their six-team group. 

However, a stunning resurgence under new head coach Éric Chelle has reignited their dream, having made the CAF playoffs.

Iwobi, who plays for Nigeria expressed renewed optimism about the team's prospects in a recent interview with CNN.

"We’ve managed to rescue ourselves from the dead," the former Arsenal and Everton star admitted in his interview.

"We know we have the players and the abilities to compete against any other country in the world," Iwobi stated. 

"We have last year’s African best player (Ademola Lookman) and the year before that (Victor Osimhen). It’ll be a shame if we don’t make it, but we have a lot of confidence. We just have to prove it to ourselves."

The Super Eagles' fate rests on the upcoming playoffs. They are set to face Gabon on November 13 in Morocco, while Cameroon will play DR Congo on the same day. 

The winners of these two matches will face off three days later in a decisive final to determine who advances.