Super Eagles hope of making it to the 2026 FIFA World Cup through the automatic qualification window went up in flames Tuesday as they failed to pick all the three points they needed to keep hope alive.
They forced South Africa’s Bafana Bafana to a 1-1 draw in their emotionally charged clash in Bloemfontein but their fate is still very much in their own hands.
The share of the spoils in front of a vocal Free Sate Stadium keeps Bafana entrenched at the top of Group C with 17 points from eight matches. They are favourites to seal qualification in their last two matches in South Africa against Rwanda and Zimbabwe next month.
Captain William Troost-Ekong turned the ball into his own net in the 25th minute as Bafana delighted the home crowd taking the lead but hard-fighting defender Calvin Bassey got up powerfully to head the 44th-minute equaliser just before the break.
The hard-fought result, matching the scoreline in Nigeria in the opening-round clash in June last year, was not the win that would have left Bafana within a point of wrapping up qualification.
It was, though, easily the next best thing. Even the likely docking of three points for the fielding of Teboho Mokoena in a 2-0 win against Lesotho in Polokwane in March is now severely diminished as a threat to Bafana’s chances.
The draw preserved the six-point gap over Nigeria — who were hoping to continue a revival from a dismal start to the campaign and reduce the margin to three — and effectively eliminates the pre-campaign group heavyweights as a factor.
Bafana remain six points clear of Rwanda, who beat Zimbabwe 1-0 at Orlando Stadium in an earlier game. Benin can go to 14 points and three points behind if they dispatch Lesotho in Abidjan in a 9pm kickoff game.
