Super Eagles captain, William Troost-Ekong, has said that he and his teammates are determined to go to the 2026 World Cup in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

As such, Troost-Ekong has promised that the Super Eagles will be extra motivated to defeat the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa’s World Cup playoff final in Rabat, Morocco on Sunday.

“The boys are, first of all, I think happy to be here competing on Sunday. There’s no other motivation that we need,” the Saudi Arabia-based central defender told the NFF Media.

“We all want to go to the World Cup. So, it is going to be a difficult game. DR Congo also did well to get to the final here for Africa and we are really looking forward to it.”

Meanwhile, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) on Saturday cleared Wilfred Ndidi to play for the Super Eagles in Sunday’s World Cup playoff final clash against DR Congo.

Ndidi received a yellow card in the 4-1 win over Gabon in the World Cup playoff semi-final in Rabat, Morocco on Thursday, making it his second of the qualifiers.

Reports had emerged that as a result, the Besiktas of Turkey midfielder would not feature for Nigeria against DR Congo on Sunday.

However, it was announced in a team news update on Saturday that Ndidi was after all eligible to feature for the Super Eagles in Sunday’s playoff clash against DR Congo.

Reacting to the development, Troost-Ekong said the involvement of Ndidi in the final would be a massive boost to the Nigerian senior men’s national team.

“I believe it’s true that Wilfred can play tomorrow, which everyone is really happy about. So there was some clarification and I think that is all out now, so no surprises,” the former Watford centre-back said.

“And we also understand clearly what this will mean for any player on a yellow card for the next game. So, that’s good to know.”

The Super Eagles, meanwhile, made it through to the 2026 FIFA World Cup play-off final after defeating Gabon 4-1 on Thursday.

Sevilla striker Akor Adams put Nigeria ahead in the 78th minute, but Mario Lemina netted the equaliser for Gabon in the 89th minute, sending the match into extra time.

Victor Osimhen thereafter squandered a wonderful opportunity to win the game for Nigeria in the 11th minute of injury time, firing wide with only goalkeeper Loyce Mbaba to beat.

The Galatasaray of Turkey striker, however, redeemed himself by scoring twice to inspire the Super Eagles to a 4-1 victory over Gabon in extra time, securing their place in the play-off final.

In extra time, Nigeria regained the lead when substitute Chidera Ejuke of Sevilla scored his first goal for the Super Eagles after 97 minutes.

Reacting to the victory, Troost-Ekong said: “Gabon, I didn’t think they were just low block. They were very dangerous on the counter attack, which the boys dealt with.”

On facing DR Congo, he said: “I know one or two players in their team and I also know that they are a good playing side. It will be a different challenge all together.

“You can never compare teams in Africa, and also we have to adapt. But at the same time, I think we are starting to create a clear identity, and that’s something that you want to continue to build on. It will be an interesting game on Sunday for sure.

“I think in the last few games, we sent a really clear message from the team, and we’re hoping to do the same now. We’re not trying to prove anything to anyone. We want to prove it to ourselves.

“Everyone of us is really focused. And yeah, after this game there won’t be time to really talk about achieving anything yet because there will be something else to face in March.

“But even I don’t want to talk about it yet because I think Sunday itself is gonna be a big challenge. And yeah, facing Congo it’s not gonna be easy at all. We just have to prepare our best for Sunday.

“I think our team has grown a lot over the last month we’ve been under consistent pressure, but every time we come together every game, I feel like the boys are getting more comfortable with that pressure, and there hasn’t been any chance to make up anything if we made a mistake. The same now goes for Sunday.

“Directly after the game against Gabon, in the changing room we had talked about this being a more important moment, and having to rest. It’s not easy when you play 120 minutes to then come and play again in three days but the focus has always been on this game on Sunday.

“I think the team has really grown over the last month and we are ready for a high pressure moment because this is what we’ve been under earlier.”