“The Super Eagles no longer inspire fear,” Jay Jay Okocha ahead of Nigeria vs Gabon

On the eve of the playoff for the 2026 World Cup, Austin “Jay Jay” Okocha sounded the alarm. The former captain of the Super Eagles laments the loss of the “fear factor” that once made Nigeria strong, now seen as vulnerable even at home.

A living legend of African football, Austin “Jay Jay” Okocha was clear-eyed and critical about the Super Eagles’ current level. A guest on the show The Exchange hosted by Femi Soneye, the former Nigeria captain said the side had lost what once made it strong: its aura and its power to intimidate.

“Back in our day, we didn’t question ourselves. No matter the opponent, we were confident. We had made our home ground a fortress”, Okocha recalled. “Today, it’s as if we’ve become weaker, even at home. Other nations no longer fear us. On the contrary, they want to face us.”

Words that sound like a warning just days before the decisive playoff between Nigeria and Gabon, counting towards qualification for the 2026 World Cup. The Super Eagles scraped their ticket for this make-or-break match after a laborious campaign marked by inconsistent results. A bitter assessment for a country long regarded as one of African football’s strongholds, now searching for its lost prestige.