Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital is bubbling with excitement in anticipation of the match between the Super Eagles and the Zimbabwe Warriors billed for Tuesday, March 25, at Godswill Akpabio International Stadium.
The 45-man Zimbabwean contingent, led by the ZIFA Vice President, Kennedy Ndebele, landed at the Victor Attah International Airport, Uyo, on Friday afternoon.
The Warriors arrived Uyo 85 minutes after the arrival of the Super Eagles’ contingent from Kigali.
The training session was watched by some members of the NFF executive committee, the General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, an aide to the president, Mr. Anthony Adeboye, and the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Sports, Paul Bassey.
World football governing body FIFA has appointed Eritrean Teklu Tsegay as the centre referee, with his compatriots as assistant referees, and fourth official.
Ghanaian Prosper Addo will be the match commissioner, while Paulin Ilboudo from Burkina Faso will serve as referee assessor.
Meanwhile, the Super Eagles are expected to amass the maximum three points and be back fully in contention for the 2026 FIFA World Cup ticket, after Tuesday’s African qualification series against the Warriors of Zimbabwe in the matchday 6 encounter.
Team captain William Ekong said on Monday afternoon that the three-time African champions would seek to control the game the way they did in the encounter with Rwanda in Kigali on Friday.
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He said the team would work hard to get the goals that would ensure the three points and fully establish them as one of the contenders for the ticket
“We are looking forward to a win. The three points are important to us. At this stage, we cannot afford to drop any more points.
“Our aim is to take it one match at a time, collect three points here and there, and hope fervently that these will be enough to get us the ticket,” Ekong said.
Nigeria, with six points, moved up to fourth position, while Zimbabwe, on three, prop up the table, and will seek to increase their haul in Tuesday’s encounter.
