If football were decided by just what the actors say about it, it would be difficult to call the winner of the 2026 Unity Cup final between defending champions, Nigeria and Jamaica.

Since the teams defeated Zimbabwe and India respectively, to qualify for the final, the players have gone to town boasting that they have the qualities to emerge victorious in the game slated for Charlton Athletic’s The Valley Stadium in London.

First to throw the gauntlet was emerging Nigerian star Tochukwu Nnadi, who said that the Super Eagles are head and shoulders above every team in the competition, including Jamaica.

Nigeria defeated Zimbabwe 2-0 with the goals coming off the boots of debutant Femi Azeez, while Jamaica beat India by the same margin in the second semifinal.

The semifinal game was Nnadi’s first start for the Super Eagles, and the 22-year-old Marseille midfielder is relishing the opportunity of starting another game for Nigeria.

Looking forward to a successful game against Jamaica, Nnadi said the thing going for Nigeria is how fast the players from different clubs have been able to build a good chemistry, adding that the Super Eagles would even be better against Jamaica after clocking more time in training.

He said: “I think we had three training sessions. It’s difficult, but we try to understand each other as quickly as we can because I think in high-level football, it doesn’t matter where the guys are coming from, but we all just have to be a team and work together.

“So, the first training was hard, but I think on the second day, third day, we got to understand each other, and you can see in the game yesterday we had a great connection and it ended well.”

On the Jamaican challenge, which would be followed by games against Poland and Portugal, Nnadi said that the Super Eagles have shown great all-around improvement since the Africa Cup of Nations, adding that friendlies like the Unity Cup and games against Poland and Portugal would only make the team better.

He added: “We are here to win the Unity Cup. I wouldn’t say anything about the Poland and Portugal game. First, we get the job done here, and then we’ll see what happens in Poland and in Portugal.

“I think this time we have to win everything. So when the time comes, we will fight. Last AFCON, we had a great competition, but in the end, we didn’t win, so this time we have to fight and see if we can win the AFCON and hopefully win more trophies for the Nigerian national team.”

The Unity Cup final is a repeat of the last edition, where the Super Eagles beat Jamaica to take the crown, but the Reggae Boyz’ manager, Rudolph Speed, is expecting a different outcome.

After the victory over India, Speid said that it was now time for Jamaica to take their pound of flesh from Nigeria. He said, “You guys have always beaten us every single time before, but I am hoping that’s not the case this time.

“It’s always exciting to play against Nigeria. They play exciting football and are one of the powerhouses in Africa, so it’s always good.

“We always look forward to playing them. Last year was very exciting; it was a 2-2 draw. This year, I hope we’ll have better results against them.”

He disclosed that he could adjust his approach in the final after watching Nigeria’s game against Zimbabwe, adding, “We will do some more analysis on what they will be doing, and then we will decide if we need to change anything.

“Although Nigeria is a very good team, every team is beatable, and we have to be aware of what they bring.

“We have some things to bring ourselves. Jamaica is still in a rebuilding stage, with lots of young players. As with the game these days, nobody is a winner before the game is played. That’s where we are right now.”