Benin captain Steve Mounie taunts Nigeria ahead of decisive World Cup qualifier

Benin captain Steve Mounie is confident about his outfit securing second consecutive win against Nigeria in the 2026 World Cup qualifier.

The Squirrels takes on the Super Eagles in a crunch World Cup qualifier on Tuesday night, with a win crucial to securing World Cup qualification for the first time in their history.

Currently, Benin sit top of Group C with 17 points, needing a win to confirm their place for the biggest soccer mundial to be staged in the USA, Canada and Mexico next year.

Meanwhile, a draw could still be sufficient for Benin if South Africa fail to overcome Rwanda at Mbombela Stadium.

Despite Nigeria’s apparent advantage in player quality and historical success, Benin enters the tie with a psychological edge.

Benin remains the only team in the qualifiers to have defeated the three-time African champions, stunning them 2-1 in the first leg tie to earn their first win over the Super Eagles in 15 matches.

Ahead of the highly anticipated match, Steve Mounie has spoken with palpable confidence, saying his side past success against Nigeria is evident for a possible victory in the second leg.

“I didn’t even know the statistics,” Mounie said, “But it shows that we have a good chance… If we are the only team that has beaten Nigeria, then we are the only team that can beat Nigeria again. Hopefully we’ll take our chances tomorrow and get the qualification.” He said.

Since that defeat, the Super Eagles have shown resilience, thrashing Benin 3-0 and drawing 1-1 in subsequent meetings, suggesting they’ve learned their lesson. However, the pressure is squarely on Nigeria to secure a massive win at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium.