Benin head coach, Gernot Rohr is expecting a tough duel against the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.


Rohr, who was in charge of the Super Eagles for five years will attempt to stop his former team from securing a place in the next World Cup to be jointly hosted by United States of America, Mexico and Canada.

Aside from the Super Eagles, the Squirrels will also take on South Africa Zimbabwe Rwanda and Lesotho in Group C.

“Benin fell into an extremely tough group, with obviously Nigeria as the favorite, a team we know quite well. But also the others, that is to say South Africa, already qualified for the next AFCON very early with a new state of mind,” the Franco-German technician explained,” Rohr was quoted by 24HauBenin.

“Of course, there is also Zimbabwe, which has a very strong physical team, and Rwanda, which we know quite well. And then there is also Lesotho, a country we are familiar with because Benin has played against them.

“It will be tough against South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Lesotho, who are geographically very close. As well as Nigeria and Benin, who are also neighbors. It’s really a group of people who know each other, making it an extremely technical and physical challenge.”

The African zone of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers will run from November 2023 to November 2025.