Ekong Retires from International Football After Nigeria Misses Second Consecutive World Cup

Ekong Retires from International Football After Nigeria Misses Second Consecutive World Cup

By Admin 

Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has announced his retirement from international football following Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The decision came shortly after the team’s defeat to DR Congo in the final round of the CAF World Cup playoffs.

According to information obtained exclusively by SCORENigeria, Ekong informed his teammates of his decision in the dressing room after the match. The defender noted that he would still travel to Morocco where Nigeria will participate in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations but only in a supportive capacity. He wished the squad success in the tournament he had long hoped to lead them into.

Ekong’s retirement marks the end of a significant era for the national team. This year makes a decade since the central defender made his Super Eagles debut in an AFCON qualifier against Chad in Kaduna. He later formed a formidable defensive partnership with Leon Balogun, a duo famously dubbed “The Oyibo Wall,” as Nigeria secured qualification for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

The pinnacle of Ekong’s international career came during the delayed 2023 AFCON in Côte d’Ivoire, where he was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player despite Nigeria finishing as runners-up to the hosts.

In recent months, 19-year-old Benjamin Fredrick has emerged as Ekong’s successor at the heart of Nigeria’s defence.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is expected to release a 55-man provisional squad list in the coming days, with Ekong’s name notably absent. CAF has set December 11 as the deadline for submitting the final 23-man roster for AFCON 2025.