Emmanuel Amuneke, a former member of the Super Eagles, has shared his tips for World Cup success with Africa's five representatives.
Five other African teams will compete in Qatar without Nigeria, hoping to overcome the odds and claim victory.
1994 Emmanuel Amuneke, the 2018 Africa Footballer of the Year, has backed African teams in Qatar for the FIFA World Cup in 2022.
Senegal, Cameroon, Morocco, Ghana, and Tunisia, the continent's Afcon champions, will all compete in the World Cup, which begins in Qatar the following month.
It might be more difficult than ever for all five nations to advance through the group stage.
Senegal was placed in Group A with the Netherlands, which hosts Qatar, and Ecuador.
Tunisia is lumped in Group D alongside France, Australia, and Denmark.
Morocco has to make it out of Group F also has Canada, Belgium, and Croatia.
Ghana has it all to do against former European champions Portugal, Korean Republic, and Uruguay in Group H.
Cameroon has probably the most formidable challenge of it all in Group G, where there are also Switzerland, Brazil, and Serbia.
There are talks that it is time for Africa to make it past a continent-high quarterfinal placing.
Nigerian legend Austin Okocha does not share that optimism, though.
However, former Barcelona winger Amuneke is convinced that Africa’s representatives have the quality to impress in Qatar.
Nevertheless, Amuneke believes the secret to reaching the latter stages of the World Cup is first to make it past the tricky group stage.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Amuneke said, “The five teams have been tested enough in recent friendlies, and they know they must first come out of the group before thinking of a semi-final ticket.
“One step at a time will do. The tournament in Qatar is a great opportunity for African teams to fix what happened in Russia when no team progressed into the second round.”
Amuneke was part of the Super Eagles squad that reached the second round of the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Nigeria’s first appearance at the Mundial.