Former Senegal striker Mamadou Niang has highlighted the challenges facing the Nigeria Super Eagles as they prepare for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) following their elimination from the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Speaking on Canal +, Niang reflected on the psychological impact of missing out on major tournaments, saying, "It's tough. I knew in 2006 when we were eliminated by Togo led by Emmanuel Adebayor, things got very complicated afterwards. In any case, I had a lot of trouble getting over it. I had a lot of trouble watching the World Cup in Germany."

Nigeria missed out on an automatic spot in their World Cup qualifying group, finishing as runners-up to South Africa, who topped the group.

The Super Eagles then secured a place in the African play-offs but fell short after losing to DR Congo on penalties in a fiercely contested African play-off final last month in Morocco.

Niang noted the disappointment of starting as favourites in a group but failing to progress, saying, "It's not easy when you start as the favourite in your group, and don't get through, it makes you sad especially since you had a good Afcon."

Drawing from his own experience with Senegal, Niang explained the difficulty of bouncing back after such setbacks: "We (Senegal) also had a very good Afcon, but it was psychologically difficult to recover from that disappointment and to get running again."

He also emphasized the importance of collective effort and leadership in ensuring teams remain focused on upcoming competitions: "Now it's a collective effort, especially from the leaders and managers to try and involve the players in the competition because the Afcon is an important competition, even though the World Cup remains the Holy Grail."

The Super Eagles are preparing for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, where they will compete against Tanzania, Tunisia, and Uganda in the group stage.

Head coach Eric Chelle is expected to reduce his 54-man provisional squad to a final 28-man selection this week ahead of the tournament.

Wale Adejumo