Nigeria secure spot in World Cup play-offs and can still qualify for 2026 World Cup
Nigeria missed out on automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup but has secured a spot in play-offs via a second-place finish in Group C.
Nigeria was third in the qualifying group with no chance of reaching the World Cup, but a Victor Osimhen hat-trick and another goal from Frank Onyeka gave Nigeria a comfortable 4-0 win over Benin on Tuesday helped to secure a spot for the play-offs
A 3-0 win over Rwanda on the final matchday of Africa’s World Cup qualifiers saw South Africa top Group C with 18 points, marking the first time that the nation will play at the tournament since hosting it in 2010.
Nigeria will feature in play-offs as one of the confederation’s four best second-placed teams.
The four teams will contest a mini tournament consisting of two semi-finals and a final, with the winner advancing to FIFA’s inter-confederation play-offs.
If Nigeria fail to qualify, it will mean that they will miss the World Cup for the second time in a row, after failing to reach the 2022 edition in Qatar.
South Africa are the seventh African team to secure their spot at the World Cup after Egypt, Cape Verde, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Ghana.
South Africa’s path to qualification was complicated when they were deducted three points and had their 2-0 win over Lesotho annulled by FIFA last month after fielding an ineligible player in the fixture.
Teboho Mokoena had accumulated two yellow cards in the previous qualifying games (against Benin in November 2023 and against Zimbabwe in June 2024) and, therefore, should have been suspended for South Africa’s game against Lesotho. However, the 28-year-old played 82 minutes of the 2-0 victory at the Peter Mokaba Stadium. The punishment saw South Africa drop behind Benin heading into the October international break.
Going into the final matchday, Benin led Group C by two points ahead of second-place South Africa, with Nigeria a point further back in third. Nigeria had to defeat Benin and hope that South Africa did not defeat Rwanda if they were to take top spot. If Nigeria lost, they would have missed the tournament entirely while a draw would mean they could only take a top-two finish and earn a play-off spot if South Africa lost.
Nigeria took the lead through Osimhen in the third minute, briefly putting them top of the group, though Thalente Mbatha scored for South Africa in the fifth minute, moving them into the group’s top spot, which they subsequently never relinquished. Goals from Oswin Apollis and Evidence Makgopa sealed the win for the side.
2026 will mark South Africa’s fourth appearance at the World Cup and their first since 2010, when they automatically qualified as the first ever African hosts of the tournament. Their two previous appearances came in 1998 and 2002. They have been eliminated in the group stage on all three occasions.
Analysis
Nigeria were punished for a slow start to their qualifying campaign under former head coach Jose Peseiro. They drew their opening two matches but there was confidence they would still qualify automatically especially after they reached the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
It feels like they have been in a constant state of chaos since that defeat to Ivory Coast. Peseiro left his role following AFCON, which was held at the beginning of 2024, and was replaced by Finidi George that April. He only took charge of two games, including a damaging defeat to Benin, before he left after falling out with star striker Victor Osimhen.
The Nigeria Football Federation tried to appoint Bruno Labbadia in August 2024 but the deal broke down. Augustine Eguavoen managed four of their qualifiers on a caretaker basis before Eric Chelle was appointed permanently in January. The instability off the field seeped into the team’s performances. Nigeria are unbeaten under Chelle but draws with South Africa and Zimbabwe meant they could not control their own destiny.
Tuesday’s 4-0 victory over Benin, which they managed without the suspended 2024 African Footballer of the Year Ademola Lookman, keeps their hopes alive. Nigeria have featured at the World Cup on six different occasions and qualified for three tournaments in a row between 2010 and 2018. They now need to navigate a tricky play-off round to have any hope of making a seventh appearance.
This will feel a little bit like revenge for South Africa who lost a penalty shootout to Nigeria in the semi-finals of last year’s AFCON. Teboho Mokoena will be one of the most relieved people in the world following tonight’s results. South Africa were docked three points after Mokoena started their 2-0 victory over Lesotho in March. The midfielder should have been serving a one-game suspension.
Benin are the biggest losers. All they needed was a draw to guarantee a second-placed finish in the table. They were pulled apart by Osimhen and agonisingly missed out on a chance to reach the World Cup for the first time.
