The Super Eagles of Nigeria played to a 1-1 draw against the Bafana Bafana of South Africa at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on Tuesday, a result that complicates their path to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Going into the match, South Africa held the lead in Group C, while Nigeria desperately needed a victory to stay on track for qualification. However, the Super Eagles’ captain, William Troost Ekong, inadvertently gave South Africa the lead by scoring an own goal. Just before halftime, Calvin Bassey of Fulham restored hope for Nigeria with a powerful header, leveling the score.
Following eight rounds of matches, South Africa remains at the top of Group C with 17 points. Nigeria now sits provisionally in second place with 11 points, six points behind the leaders.
To have a shot at direct qualification, Nigeria must win their remaining matches against Lesotho and Benin. They also need other teams in the group to drop points. With the draw, qualification for next year’s World Cup is looking increasingly unlikely for the Super Eagles, who have a history of six World Cup appearances but missed the last edition in Qatar in 2022.
