Nigeria’s Super Eagles have almost crashed out of the race for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a 1-1 draw with South Africa on Tuesday.
The Group C Matchday 8 fixture was played at the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein.
As the News Agency of Nigeria reports, Nigeria needed an outright win to stay in contention for a World Cup spot.
They had earlier defeated Rwanda 1-0 on Matchday 7 in Uyo, but still sat fourth on the six-team table with 11 points.
South Africa led the group with 16 points and were looking to widen the gap.
The hosts opened the scoring in the 25th minute through an own goal by Nigeria’s captain, William Troost-Ekong.
The defender deflected the ball into his own net following a defensive mix-up.
Nigeria equalised in the 44th minute through Calvin Bassey.
The Fulham defender rose highest to head home from a corner kick.
Both teams pushed for a winner in the second half but failed to break the deadlock.
Goalkeepers on both sides made crucial saves to keep the score level.
The result left Nigeria on 11 points with only two matches remaining.
Their hopes of reaching the 2026 World Cup are now almost over.
The Super Eagles will play their final group matches against Lesotho and Benin Republic on Oct. 6 and Oct. 13 respectively.
Nigeria’s qualifying is mathematically possible but improbable.
They need to win both remaining matches (vs Lesotho and Benin) to finish on 17 points (11 + 6).
South Africa must lose both of their remaining matches to also finish on 17 points (17 + 0).
If both finish on 17, the group winner is decided by the usual tiebreakers.
So Nigeria would need not only six points but also a better goal difference than South Africa by the end of Matchday 10.
Nigeria cannot finish clear of South Africa on points unless South Africa take zero points from their last two games while Nigeria wins both.
Both fixtures are now dead rubbers.
