Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has disclosed the reason behind Nigeria's defeat to Benin Republic in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

The Finidi George-led side lost 2-1 to Benin at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in June, casting doubts on Nigeria's chances of qualifying for the global showpiece after managing just three points in four qualifying matches.

The defeat culminated in the resignation of Finidi George as the new substantive head coach of the team after just a few matches at the helm.

However, the Super Eagles redeemed themselves with a convincing 3-0 victory in their last meeting in September in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers.

The team, led by interim coach Augustine Eguavoen, dispatched Gernot Rohr's side at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, with Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen getting the goals.

Speaking ahead of the upcoming clash, the Dutch-born Nigerian attributed the defeat in the World Cup qualifiers to the unavailability of some key players in the squad at the time.

“I think there is always pressure, especially like you said, if they have beaten us before. I think going back to that game, I wasn't there personally in June,” he said.

"We were missing some players who are normally playing; we also had a different coach at the time.”

The Super Eagles will take on the Cheetahs at 8:00 pm later today (Thursday, November 14). Nigeria needs just a draw to secure qualification for Morocco in 2025.