Ivory Coast Legend Names Two Players Who Will Deliver Nigeria to 2026 World Cup

Ivory Coast legend Salomon Kalou has picked out two Nigerian stars that will play a crucial role if the Super Eagles have to clinch a place at the 2026 World Cup.

Former Ivory Coast striker Salomon Kalou has given reasons why he feels Nigeria will make it through from the tough World Cup playoffs and seal a place at next year’s tournament.

Nigeria are set to face Gabon in a high stakes Africa World Cup playoff semi-final on Thursday evening with the winner taking on either Cameroon or DR Congo in the mini-tournament final next week, all games being staged in Morocco.

After that, Africa’s representative will head to an inter-continental playoff with countries from other continents in March 2026 where only one side will clinch the remaining World Cup ticket.

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Kalou Identifies Super Eagles’ Main Men

Ahead of the playoff, set to kick off at 7pm East African time, Kalou thinks Nigeria are favourites to win the African and inter-continental playoff for the sole World Cup ticket but it will depend on how two key players perform.

“Nigeria is a team you do not want to face when they have their backs against the wall because they are very dangerous when they are in that position,” Kalou told SuperSport TV presenter Thomas Mlambo in the company of Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali.

“But it depends on the form of Victor Osimhen because he is in great form, it depends on him because he needs to be in shape and score goals, and it depends on my man [Stanley Nwabali].

What Does Osimhen and Nwabali Bring?

“I believe they are going to make it because they are the team to make it through,” added the former Chelsea striker, who played at two World Cups and was part of the Ivorian team that won the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.

Osimhen is Nigeria’s main man upfront and he comes into the contest after scoring nine goals in 12 games for Turkish giants Galatasaray this season while he bagged a hat-trick in the Super Eagles’ last match, when they thrashed Benin 4-0, to seal their playoff ticket.

Meanwhile, Nwabali has been a mainstay in goal at both his South African club Chippa United and Nigeria and will be required to keep out Gabon assassin Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who scored four goals in his country’s penultimate World Cup qualifier against The Gambia last month.