'The strongest always win does not exist today' - Gabon coach warns Super Eagles ahead of WCQ playoff

Gabon coach Thierry Mouyouma has issued a stern warning to Nigeria ahead of their upcoming 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifying playoff, insisting that the notion of 'the strongest always win' no longer holds true in modern football.

Mouyouma emphasised the psychological and tactical preparation his team would undertake, noting that matches at this level are no longer decided by individual brilliance but by collective discipline and strategy.

The Gabon boss drew comparisons with other top African sides the Panthers have faced recently, such as Senegal, Morocco and Ivory Coast, asserting that his side would approach the fixture with a similar mindset.

"It won't be a case of solving the problems on an individual level. It's going to be on a tactical level. The challenge today is to keep up with the top-ranked teams," Mouyouma said at a press conference monitored by allnigeriasoccer.com.

"The Nigeria we are facing was a top team in the group and in the end they did not qualify because they were not first in the group.

"So what used to be said that the strongest always win does not exist today."

He went on to underline the competitive balance within African football, pointing out that Gabon, despite being lower in the Fifa rankings, possess players capable of matching the continent's elite.

Of the four nations that advanced to the African playoff, Gabon amassed the highest points total with 25, a tally that would have been sufficient to secure World Cup qualification had they been drawn in Group B, C, D or E.

"When you look at it—Nigeria, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon—the top would be Gabon. 

"And unfortunately, in this same group, we will be fourth in the Fifa ranking. That means there are a lot of considerations when you are approaching a match of this level."

Mouyouma revealed that the playoffs will demand the same intensity and tactical precision as the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations.

"We are going to play in a competition, the playoffs, which for me is similar to the knockout matches of the Afcon.

"If Gabon plans to continue to grow, to get past the quarterfinals in a competition, we have to be able to compete with the big African nations, and Nigeria is one of them.

"Our players who are used to playing in big matches know this more than anyone.

“Compared to the intercontinental playoff, the African playoff is a little more challenging because you earn points in the FIFA ranking if you get a good result in the African playoff, and you may end up playing one match in the intercontinental playoff,” he concluded. 

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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