{"id":4468,"date":"2023-11-22T21:49:10","date_gmt":"2023-11-22T20:49:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/faca.com.ng\/web\/2023\/11\/22\/nigeria-will-qualify-for-2026-world-cup-u-23-eagles-striker-edidiong-ezekiel-predicts\/"},"modified":"2023-11-22T21:49:10","modified_gmt":"2023-11-22T20:49:10","slug":"nigeria-will-qualify-for-2026-world-cup-u-23-eagles-striker-edidiong-ezekiel-predicts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/faca.com.ng\/web\/2023\/11\/22\/nigeria-will-qualify-for-2026-world-cup-u-23-eagles-striker-edidiong-ezekiel-predicts\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216; Nigeria will qualify for 2026 World Cup&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>U-23 Eagles striker, Edidiong Ezekiel has predicted that Nigeria will return to winning ways and qualify for the 2026 World Cup. SportsRation reports.<\/p>\n<p>Edidiong Ezekiel who was part of the home-based Super Eagles squad that faced world-cup bound\u00a0Costa Rica\u00a0in an international friendly game in November 2022 is convinced Nigeria will not miss the 2026 World cup.<\/p>\n<p>Recall that Nigeria made a poor start to the 2026 World Cup qualifying series with 1-1 draws vs Lesotho and Zimbabwe to occupy third place in group C behind South Africa and Rwanda.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_93461\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-93461\" style=\"width: 350px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" data-attachment-id=\"93461\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/sportsration.com\/unlucky-super-eagles-held-at-home-by-lesotho\/1700166144099-min-1\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sportsration.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/1700166144099-min-1.jpg?fit=720%2C480&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"720,480\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Nigeria Super Eagles\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Nigeria Super Eagles Starting XI vs Lesotho&lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sportsration.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/1700166144099-min-1.jpg?fit=350%2C233&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sportsration.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/1700166144099-min-1.jpg?fit=450%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-93461 jetpack-lazy-image\" alt=\"Nigeria Super Eagles\" width=\"350\" height=\"233\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sportsration.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/1700166144099-min-1.jpg?resize=350%2C233&amp;ssl=1 350w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sportsration.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/1700166144099-min-1.jpg?resize=450%2C300&amp;ssl=1 450w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sportsration.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/1700166144099-min-1.jpg?w=720&amp;ssl=1 720w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sportsration.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/1700166144099-min-1.jpg?resize=350%2C233&amp;is-pending-load=1#038;ssl=1\"\/><noscript><img data-lazy-fallback=\"1\" data-attachment-id=\"93461\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/sportsration.com\/unlucky-super-eagles-held-at-home-by-lesotho\/1700166144099-min-1\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sportsration.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/1700166144099-min-1.jpg?fit=720%2C480&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"720,480\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Nigeria Super Eagles\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Nigeria Super Eagles Starting XI vs Lesotho&lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sportsration.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/1700166144099-min-1.jpg?fit=350%2C233&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sportsration.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/1700166144099-min-1.jpg?fit=450%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-93461\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sportsration.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/1700166144099-min-1.jpg?resize=350%2C233&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Nigeria Super Eagles\" width=\"350\" height=\"233\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sportsration.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/1700166144099-min-1.jpg?resize=350%2C233&amp;ssl=1 350w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sportsration.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/1700166144099-min-1.jpg?resize=450%2C300&amp;ssl=1 450w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sportsration.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/1700166144099-min-1.jpg?w=720&amp;ssl=1 720w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"\/><\/noscript><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-93461\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nigeria Super Eagles Starting XI vs Lesotho<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This has raised questions over Nigeria\u2019s hopes of qualification, amidst memories of missing the 2022 edition in Qatar.<\/p>\n<p>In a post shared on his facebook handle on Wednesday, November 22, U-23 Eagles striker, Edidiong Ezekiel who currently plays for Akwa United FC in the Nigeria Premier Football League is backing Nigeria to bounce back to winning ways.<\/p>\n<p>\u201d I am confident the Super Eagles will bounce back to winning ways and qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, \u201d Edidiong Ezekiel wrote.<\/p>\n<p>\u201d Playing at world cup is every footballers dream \u2013 same excitement cheering the country at the world\u2019s grandest football event means to the fans. \u201d<\/p>\n<p>Edidiong has represented Nigeria at U-17, U-23 and the home-based Super Eagles.<\/p>\n<p>The versatile forward has played for clubs like Cofine FC, Ibom Youths FC, Dakkada FC, Remo Stars from where he joined Akwa United FC in the last transfer window.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_93630\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-93630\" style=\"width: 350px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" data-attachment-id=\"93630\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/sportsration.com\/nigeria-will-qualify-for-2026-world-cup-u-23-eagles-striker-edidiong-ezekiel-predicts\/403754910_331458459631042_7099705417114895794_n\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sportsration.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/403754910_331458459631042_7099705417114895794_n.jpg?fit=1280%2C853&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1280,853\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"403754910_331458459631042_7099705417114895794_n\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Edidiong Ezekiel in action for Akwa United FC Vs Remo Stars FC on Sunday, November 19, 2023.&lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sportsration.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/403754910_331458459631042_7099705417114895794_n.jpg?fit=350%2C233&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sportsration.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/403754910_331458459631042_7099705417114895794_n.jpg?fit=450%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-93630 jetpack-lazy-image\" alt=\"Edidiong Ezekiel in action for Akwa United FC Vs Remo Stars FC on Sunday, November 19, 2023.\" width=\"350\" height=\"233\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sportsration.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/403754910_331458459631042_7099705417114895794_n.jpg?resize=350%2C233&amp;ssl=1 350w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sportsration.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/403754910_331458459631042_7099705417114895794_n.jpg?resize=450%2C300&amp;ssl=1 450w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sportsration.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/403754910_331458459631042_7099705417114895794_n.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sportsration.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/403754910_331458459631042_7099705417114895794_n.jpg?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sportsration.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/403754910_331458459631042_7099705417114895794_n.jpg?resize=350%2C233&amp;is-pending-load=1#038;ssl=1\"\/><noscript><img data-lazy-fallback=\"1\" data-attachment-id=\"93630\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/sportsration.com\/nigeria-will-qualify-for-2026-world-cup-u-23-eagles-striker-edidiong-ezekiel-predicts\/403754910_331458459631042_7099705417114895794_n\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sportsration.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/403754910_331458459631042_7099705417114895794_n.jpg?fit=1280%2C853&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1280,853\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"403754910_331458459631042_7099705417114895794_n\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Edidiong Ezekiel in action for Akwa United FC Vs Remo Stars FC on Sunday, November 19, 2023.&lt;\/p&gt;&#10;\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sportsration.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/403754910_331458459631042_7099705417114895794_n.jpg?fit=350%2C233&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sportsration.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/403754910_331458459631042_7099705417114895794_n.jpg?fit=450%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-93630\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sportsration.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/403754910_331458459631042_7099705417114895794_n.jpg?resize=350%2C233&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Edidiong Ezekiel in action for Akwa United FC Vs Remo Stars FC on Sunday, November 19, 2023.\" width=\"350\" height=\"233\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sportsration.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/403754910_331458459631042_7099705417114895794_n.jpg?resize=350%2C233&amp;ssl=1 350w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sportsration.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/403754910_331458459631042_7099705417114895794_n.jpg?resize=450%2C300&amp;ssl=1 450w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sportsration.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/403754910_331458459631042_7099705417114895794_n.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sportsration.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/403754910_331458459631042_7099705417114895794_n.jpg?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"\/><\/noscript><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-93630\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Edidiong Ezekiel in action for Akwa United FC Vs Remo Stars FC on Sunday, November 19, 2023.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>For the Super Eagles of Nigeria, attention will shift to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Ivory Coast.<\/p>\n<p>After the AFCON, the World Cup qualifying series will resume in June 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Nigeria will host South Africa on matchday three in a game that will be key to the teams chances of qualification.<\/p>\n<p>The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be hosted by USA, Mexico, and Canada with a record-setting 48-teams participating.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/sportsration.com\/nigeria-will-qualify-for-2026-world-cup-u-23-eagles-striker-edidiong-ezekiel-predicts\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>U-23 Eagles striker, Edidiong Ezekiel has predicted that Nigeria will return to winning ways and qualify for the 2026 World Cup. SportsRation reports. Edidiong Ezekiel who was part of the home-based Super Eagles squad that faced world-cup bound\u00a0Costa Rica\u00a0in an international friendly game in November 2022 is convinced Nigeria will not miss the 2026 World [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4469,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4468","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/faca.com.ng\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4468","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/faca.com.ng\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/faca.com.ng\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/faca.com.ng\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/faca.com.ng\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4468"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/faca.com.ng\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4468\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/faca.com.ng\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4469"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/faca.com.ng\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/faca.com.ng\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/faca.com.ng\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}