As the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers matchday 4 approaches in Group C, six countries are ready to fiercely compete for points.

Nigeria head into the match under pressure, having had a poor start to their campaign.

The three-time African champions currently sit fifth in the table, having drawn their opening matches against Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and South Africa leaving them with 3 points from 3 matches.

Benin Republic, on the other hand, sits third on the table with four points from three matches.

Gernot Rohr’s men lost their opening match against South Africa 2-1, played a 0-0 draw with Lesotho, and secured a surprising win against Rwanda.

Quotes from the Coaches:

Gernot Rohr (Benin Republic)

“The Super Eagles are still my favourites to qualify for the World Cup. Nigeria is a great team. We are the underdogs but we will play tomorrow to win.”

“This match is an opportunity to meet with players and other staff of the team after a long time; it is always a good thing. There are no regrets.”

Finidi George (Nigeria)

“We are going to approach the game with every seriousness. The match against South Africa, that is gone. We have learnt from it. We just have to get ourselves to have that fantastic second half that we had [against South Africa]. If we can start that way tomorrow [now today], I think we have a chance.”

“We’re very much aware of why we are here and what we have to do. The players want to go to the World Cup and they have resolved to give their all in every game going forward.”

Head-to-Head Record

Historically, there isn’t much of a challenge; Nigeria has defeated Benin in their last four encounters.

The last time Benin got a win against Nigeria was during the AFCON qualifiers in 2017, from an 89th minute Seibou Mama penalty.

– Matches played: 16

– Nigeria wins: 13

– Benin wins: 1

– Draws: 2

Prediction

This is going to be a thrilling and tricky match, as Gernot Rohr isn’t a stranger to Nigerian football, having coached the team from 2016 to 2021. He led the team to the 2018 FIFA World Cup and a third-place AFCON finish in 2019.

It promises to be an end-to-end game, with the Super Eagles expected to win and take charge of their qualifier campaign, securing their first win.

Failure to secure a win today might spell trouble for Finidi’s team, with six games remaining.

Date, Kick-off Time, and Venue

The Benin Republic and Nigeria clash is scheduled for 5pm Nigeria time on Monday, June 10.

Venue: Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, Abidjan.