Football: Nigeria's World Cup hopes hanging by a thread after 1-1 draw against South Africa
Super Eagles held to 1-1 draw by Bafana Bafana
The Nigeria national football team has endured a difficult year, having suffered a premature exit at the African Nations Championships last month, and now being forced to see their 2026 World Cup qualification hopes all but dashed.
The Super Eagles came into this month's WCQ knowing that nothing less than six points were needed to make strides in the group standings, and they got off to a promising start in that regard, beating a stubborn Rwanda 1-0 at home on September 6.
However, Eric Chelle’s side were unable to do likewise this week when they arrived at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein, where, despite creating the clearer chances across the 90, they were unable to find the crucial go-ahead goal against the group leaders, South Africa.
Skipper William Troost-Ekong put his side on the back foot inside the first half-hour by sticking a low cross into his own net, but Cyriel Dessers restored parity just before halftime, setting up a grandstand second period.
Unfortunately, while the Super Eagles were the better side in the second half of the match, they failed to double their tally, and Bafana Bafana saw out the match at 1-1 to move to 17 points in the group, three clear of second-placed Benin, while also confirming our football predictions for the fixture.
The result left Nigeria on 11 points (W2 D5 L1) with just two qualification games to go. The first of those is against Lesotho on October 6 on the road before returning to home soil to face the Cheetahs on October 13.
How can Nigeria qualify for the 2026 World Cup?
While the defeat to South Africa has left Nigeria’s World Cup qualification hopes dwindling, they are not entirely out of the running just yet, though reaching the global showpiece directly through CAF Group C is now extremely unlikely.
To finish top of the group, the Super Eagles need to win their final two games of the WCQ by big margins and also need Bafana Bafana to lose their next two games. There is also the matter of Benin, which is three points ahead of Nigeria, making their final matchday clash a potential decider.
Given the group standings, Eric Chelle’s side’s most realistic path to qualification lies in securing a spot as the highest-ranked second-placed team, but the likes of Gabon, Madagascar, DR Congo and Burkina Faso - all of whom are in the running - have already surpassed 14 points.
Additionally, Gabon, who can still qualify directly from Group F, have already picked up 19 points and are assured of at least a top two finish, meaning that there are actually only three spots still up for grabs.
