The very traditional Nigeria is in a very delicate situation in the African Qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
They visited South Africa this Tuesday (9), drew 1-1, and remain six points behind the Bafana Bafana with only two rounds remaining.
And there were other attractions in the games with the ball rolling from 1 PM (Brasília time).
Cape Verde took another step towards the first World Cup in its history.
Egypt had the chance to secure their qualification, but Burkina Faso still dreams.
Meanwhile, Senegal turned the game around against the Democratic Republic of Congo in a true final.
Regulations📝
Fifty-three teams were divided into nine groups.
Only the group leader of each group goes directly to the World Cup.
The four best runners-up secure a spot in the African playoffs.
Which will determine the continent's representative in the world playoffs.
There will be six teams competing for two spots in the World Cup, and so far only New Caledonia is guaranteed.
Nigerian Drama
It was a true decision at Vodacom Park, in Bloemfontein.
Without the injured Osimhen, Nigeria with Lookman entered the field in fourth place in Group C, with ten points. Facing the leader South Africa (16).
With slips before the ball even rolled.
Ndidi and Moses Simon accidentally fell walking out for Nigeria vs. South Africa 🤣🇳🇬 pic.twitter.com/OO6Uu0IoQt
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) September 9, 2025
The Bafana Bafana took the lead thanks to an own goal by Troost-Ekong (25').
Nigeria's equalizer came with Bassey (44') amidst controversy, as the headed ball hit his arm and went in. And there is no VAR in the Qualifiers.
The second half had moments of little football and also emotion. But no goals.
The draw took the South Africans – who celebrated a lot – to 17 points. Six more than Nigeria.
The leaders will still face Zimbabwe (A) and Rwanda (H). And the Super Eagles will have Lesotho (A) and Benin (H) ahead.
The Bafana Bafana have a good advantage in the first tiebreaker criterion, which is goal difference: eight to two.
The risk for South Africa is losing three points due to the irregular lineup of Mokoena in the victory over Lesotho on March 21.
He should have served a suspension due to yellow cards received against Benin and Zimbabwe. FIFA has not yet taken a position.
World Cup History
The Super Eagles are trying to compete in their seventh World Cup in history. They reached the round of 16 in 1994, 1998, and 2014. And were eliminated in the group stage in 2002, 2010, and 2018.
The Bafana Bafana have not played in a World Cup since hosting the tournament in 2010.
They defeated the then-champion France in the final round but did not advance to the round of 16 due to an inferior goal difference compared to Mexico.
They had participated in the 1998 and 2022 editions – also without advancing.
R.D. Congo vs. Senegal
The scenario was as shown below at the giant Stade des Martyrs.
Le meilleur public du monde 🇨🇩 🐆
On va le faire encore aujourd’hui pic.twitter.com/YlNi68IawN— #VisitCongo 🇨🇩🐆 (@JumbaDrc) September 9, 2025
Bakambu (26') and Wissa (33') put the hosts ahead.
Gueye pulled one back before halftime (39'). And the new Bayern signing (53') equalized.
Pape Sarr, from Tottenham, secured the comeback (87').
The Democratic Republic of Congo remained with 16 points. And saw Senegal take the lead in Group B with 18.
There are also two rounds remaining.
Cape Verde vs. Cameroon
Dailon Rocha Livramento (54') scored an extremely important goal.
A goal that secured the hosts' victory over Cameroon by 1-0.
And left the island country – which has Portuguese as its official language – in a great position to confirm the leadership of Group D and compete in its first World Cup.
They reached 19 points, leaving Cameroon with 15. Two rounds to go.
All Qualified Teams 👇🏽
AFC – Asia
🇦🇺 Australia – 🇰🇷 South Korea – 🇮🇷 Iran – 🇯🇵 Japan – 🇯🇴 Jordan (debutant) – 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan (debutant)
CAF – Africa
🇲🇦 Morocco – 🇹🇳 Tunisia
Concacaf – Central and North America
🇨🇦 Canada (host country) – 🇺🇸 United States (host country) – 🇲🇽 Mexico (host country)
Conmebol – South America
🇦🇷 Argentina – 🇧🇷 Brazil – 🇨🇴 Colombia – 🇪🇨 Ecuador – 🇵🇾 Paraguay – 🇺🇾 Uruguay
OFC – Oceania
🇳🇿 New Zealand
Division of Spots
- Europe: 16
- Africa: 9
- Asia: 8
- South America: 6
- North and Central America: 6
- Oceania: 1
- Playoff: 2
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.
📸 PHILL MAGAKOE – AFP or licensors
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