Lesotho coach and captain reveal they are in Uyo to win

Head coach of Lesotho Leslie Notsi is optimistic that his team can absorb the pressure of the Super Eagles and their fans in their 2026 World Cup qualifiers game in Uyo on Thursday .

Nigeria hosts Lesotho in their first game of the qualifiers at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, with the Super Eagles, who missed the last edition of the FIFA World Cup, the clear favourites to win the encounter.

The 59-year-old is aware of the three-time Africa champions’ prowess but he hopes to see something positive from his team.

“Our expectation is to have a tough match and we are taking this opportunity as a young football nation to get the exposure experience. We have young and talented players who are eager to learn and grow so we are here to honour the fixture with a competitive mindset.

“Most of the players we have are from our developmental teams and I must also give credit to our league which has enabled us national team coaches to pick easily. We are coming here to take the opportunity of playing one of the best teams on the continent.

 “We know the support will be there, and we will see how we perform under tremendous pressure because I think that will be a sign of how we have improved. We know it’s going to be tough but we will play our best.”

Team captain, Sekhoaane Benedict Moraene, has said the Likuena will put up a good fight against the Super Eagles.

Moraene says they will go all out for a win against the Super Eagles despite the gulf in class between both teams.

“This is not our first time playing against Nigeria; we are going to expect a lot from Nigeria because they are going to bring the game to us to get the three points but we are not going to respect them. We are going to bring the game to them too,” the LMPS star told a press conference on Wednesday.

“We know they are a good team with lots of players coming from outside the country but on our part, we have six players from outside and the majority of us play in Lesotho including me,” he added.

Lesotho arrived in Uyo on Tuesday ahead of the game and had a training session on Wednesday at the training pitch of the Godswill Akpabio Stadium.

The Crocodiles have neither qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations nor the FIFA World Cup in their history.

Other teams in Group C for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in the USA/Canada/Mexico are South Africa, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, and the Benin Republic.