Nigeria will meet Zimbabwe today in London as Coach Eric Chelle begins the rebuilding of the Super Eagles after recent failures.
 
Nigeria failed, for the second consecutive time to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, even when Africa’s slot for the competition has been increased from five to 10.
 
And now, looking for ways to avoid such “mishaps” befallen Nigeria’s football again, Chelle said he will give the country a national team that will overcome all challenges.

And the journey to that team, he said, begins with the Unity Cup featuring Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Jamaica and India.
 
Speaking on the road to a new Super Eagles, Chelle said he brought in new faces into the team to give the side options in all departments.
   
Chelle, who has as many as 12 debutants in the current squad, said he knows exactly what he expects from each of the new boys.
 
Defending champions, Nigeria, will face Zimbabwe at The Valley Stadium, home of Charlton Athletic, with the winners advancing to Saturday’s final against either Jamaica or India.
 
In the squad are eight players from the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), including Ikorodu City goalkeeper Michael Atata, who earned attention after keeping 16 clean sheets during the domestic season, Enugu Rangers’ Chibueze Oputa and Obinna Igboke, Rivers United’s Elias Ochobi and Shooting Stars duo of Ayobami Junior and Tijani Al-Ameen.
 
Also in the team are Wrexham of England goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo, Millwall’s Femi Azeez, Owen Oseni (Plymouth Argyle), Tochukwu Nnadi (Marseille) and Glasgow Rangers’ Emmanuel Fernandez.
 
Chelle said the players are expected to embrace the challenge of playing for a country as big as Nigeria, adding, “As I said, we have a vision for this national team. Some of the new players are ready and motivated.
 
“The players of the NPFL, the players of the European leagues, have the chance to enter the Super Eagles (main) team.
 
“When you play a game like this, the first thing is the attitude, the state of mind. They have to show us first their state of mind. The most important thing for them is the…, you know, when you play football, you make some mistakes. This is not the question about the mistakes. This is the question of what you can do after the mistakes. It’s a question about the state of mind. The only pressure that they can have is to fight for every ball. It is to run, run and run.”
 
Zimbabwe is a familiar foe to the Super Eagles, as they contributed to Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, as the 1-1 draw they achieved in Uyo against the Eagles was one of the nails hammered into the country’s 2026 ambition.
 
“Zimbabwe is a great team, a great team with strong players. If you want to talk about our last game, you need to talk not only about the result. Because if you see the result, you will say aha. But if you watch the game, we were supposed to win the game by at least 98 per cent.
 
“Definitely, Zimbabwe is a great team. They come with a lot of motivation. They want to win.”
 
Nigeria has met Zimbabwe nine times, winning four, four ended in draws, while the Warriors have one win to their name.