Gabon’s head coach, Thierry Mouyouma, has expressed confidence in his team’s readiness to face Nigeria’s Super Eagles in the African playoffs for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Gabon had a strong qualifying run, securing eight victories, one draw, and just one loss, amassing 25 points out of a possible 30.
While that total would have guaranteed qualification in many other groups, it wasn’t enough in Group F, where Côte d’Ivoire edged them out by a single point to claim the top spot and qualify directly.
Looking back on their campaign, Mouyouma admitted that missing out on automatic qualification despite such a high point tally was a bitter pill to swallow.
”To get 25 points and not qualify is hard to take,” the coach told Sport News Africa. But he is already looking ahead to the play-offs and the upcoming clash against Nigeria. ” We are ready. It will be a good match to play, and a good test for the 2025 AFCON.”
Gabon will face a Super Eagles team that placed second in Group C behind Bafana Bafana of South Africa, who will make a first World Cup appearance since 2010.
The African play-offs will take place from November 13 to 16 in Morocco and will pit Nigeria against Gabon and Cameroon against DR Congo.
The overall winner will advance to the intercontinental play-offs slated for March, 2026, in Mexico.