Nigeria legend Sunday Oliseh wants William Troost-Ekong benched ahead of World Cup playoffs

Nigeria legend Sunday Oliseh insists captain William Troost-Ekong must be dropped to the bench ahead of the 2026 World Cup playoffs.

The three-time AFCON winners missed out on automatic World Cup qualification, and are set to participate in a four-nation continental playoff to determine their fate for the global showpiece next year.

The Super Eagles will face Gabon in the playoff semifinal on November 13, with the final slated for November 16.

Ahead of the playoffs, Oliseh has issued a strong warning to coach Eric Chelle, calling for the exclusion of captain Troost-Ekong from the starting line up as a result of dip in form.

Oliseh, who briefly managed Troost-Ekong before stepping down in 2016, expressed serious doubts about the 32-year-old defender’s current form. Critics have increasingly scrutinized Troost-Ekong following a string of errors, including one that led to a late equalizer against Zimbabwe in March 2025 and an own-goal against South Africa last month.

“If we want to have a bright chance of going to the World Cup, Troost-Ekong has to be put on the bench,” Oliseh stated on his YouTube channel. “It’s as simple as that. You get to play for the Super Eagles based on the results you bring in.”

Oliseh stressed that sentiment should play no role in squad selection, urging Chelle to focus purely on merit. He noted,

“If you look at the last three or four games we played, the two matches Troost didn’t feature in, we didn’t concede a goal… The reality is very simple, you don’t go into a game as a manager looking at sentiments. You play the best players.”

“I’m saying it clearly, drop the captain and let him take a break… The team needs it, the psychology of the group needs it. At the moment, we play better when our captain isn’t on the pitch.”