Former Super Eagles captain Austin Okocha has urged Eric Chelle’s squad to confront their biggest weakness — inconsistency — as Nigeria prepare for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

His message comes as the team continues to process the disappointment of failing to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Nigeria’s qualifying journey ended painfully after playing 10 matches, winning four, drawing five and losing once — a costly defeat to Benin Republic, their first-ever competitive loss to the Cheetahs.

However, it was the home draws against Lesotho and Zimbabwe that alarmed fans the most, exposing a persistent lack of sharpness in games that should have been routine victories.

Finishing behind South Africa meant Nigeria missed an automatic World Cup ticket and had to go through the continental play-offs.

A dramatic 4-1 extra-time win over Gabon offered hope, but the campaign collapsed again after a penalty shoot-out defeat to DR Congo, confirming a second consecutive World Cup absence after missing Qatar 2022.

Okocha believes the biggest lesson from the qualifiers is clear. “Nigeria’s run in the World Cup qualifiers was a rollercoaster, but we would have loved to see Nigeria qualify with ease,” he said.

“Football is not an easy game, but what they should improve on is consistency. They need to stick to winning with top performance in every game.”

The Super Eagles restored some pride by reaching the final of AFCON 2024 in Ivory Coast, and expectations for Morocco 2025 are even higher. Nigeria have been drawn alongside Tunisia, Uganda and Tanzania, with head coach Eric Chelle tasked with getting the best out of a talented but unpredictable squad.