Former Burkina Faso star Alain Traore tips Gabon to upset Nigeria in World Cup playoff
Former Burkina Faso international Alain Traore has backed Gabon to upset Nigeria in the 2026 World Cup playoff on Thursday.
Both teams missed out on automatic World Cup qualification, and are set to participate in a playoff to determine their fate for the global showpiece.
The African playoff structure sees Cameroon face DR Congo on Thursday, November 13, while Nigeria takes on Gabon at the Prince Moulay El Hassan Sports Complex in Rabat. The winners will compete on November 16 for a spot in the intercontinental playoffs.
While Nigeria struggled through the qualifiers and only secured a playoff spot after a late surge, Gabon narrowly missed automatic qualification despite having the highest points total among the non-qualifiers.
The Panthers boast top players including, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mario Lemina, and Didier Ndong.
Nigeria, however, have been plagued by off-field issues, with players recently boycotting a training session over unpaid bonuses. In contrast, Thierry Mouyouma’s Gabonese squad has been in focused preparation in Morocco since Monday.
However, Alain Traore has downplayed Gabon underdogs’ tag, while tipping the Panthers to upset the Super Eagles.
Traore, who scored three goals at Afcon 2013, said on Canal+’s Talents d’Afrique that “Gabon has a better team and a better organization… Gabon is now a certainty.” He added that Nigeria’s performances were largely unimpressive during the qualifiers.
Meanwhile, the Super Eagles will hope to maintain their 36-year unbeaten streak against Gabon as both teams fight for a spot in the final round of the World Cup playoffs.
