Benin head coach Gernot Rohr is hopeful Victor Osimhen will turn up for the Super Eagles in the continental playoffs of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers next month, Afrosport reports.
The Galatasaray superstar scored a hat-trick as Nigeria defeated Benin 4-0 in Uyo on Tuesday to take second place in Group C of the African qualifiers from the Cheetahs.
Rohr was previously in charge of Nigeria, and handed Osimhen his debut in June 2017 before going on to show his prolific goalscoring skills when he netted his first international goal against Ukraine in a friendly in September 2019.
The 26-year-old has since scored 29 goals and is just nine strikes away from surpassing Rashidi Yekini’s all-time record.
“We tried, but when you have such a good player like Osimhen,” Rohr said.
“I remember when I brought Osimhen into the team, he was 17, here in our first game against Tanzania, and he was already in our selection.
“So I am very happy to see him like that, but I’m not happy he did it against me. But I hope he can do it in the playoffs for your country, which I love.”
No words to describe that performance from @victorosimhen9 🤯 https://t.co/0T7A5cze61 pic.twitter.com/9bGt3hJp8j
— 🇳🇬 Super Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) October 15, 2025
Reflecting on Benin’s missed bid to reach a first-ever World Cup, Rohr stated: “I’m proud of my players. They gave everything. They worked hard throughout these qualifiers, even if the results weren’t there. They’re young guys who are still learning.
“We don’t have enough top-level players. Some are coming back from injury, others don’t have a club, and a few play in lower divisions. But they showed great spirit.
“This kind of match shows the gap between us and the top teams, but also the journey we need to take. We will keep working.”
Rohr was in charge of Nigeria between 2016 and 2021, leading them to the 2018 World Cup as well as the 2019 and 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.
He has been in charge of Benin since 2023 and has taken them to the 2025 AFCON finals in Morocco in December.
