South Africa Give Nigeria Big 2026 World Cup Qualifiers Boost

South Africa’s 2-0 defeat at the hands of Rwanda has boosted the chances of struggling Super Eagles of Nigeria in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Recall that the Super Eagles recorded a 1-1 draw against Lesotho and Zimbabwe respectively to start their qualification campaign on a bad note.

The fact that South Africa won their first game in the qualification series sent panic to the camp of the Super Eagles because the Bafana Bafana are seen as Nigeria’s main rival in Group C.

On Thursday, November 21, the South African team played against the lowly-rated Rwanda which they were expected to defeat. Interestingly, the Amavubi Stars took all three points at the Huye Stadium in Butare, Rwanda, thanks to goals from Gilbert Mugisha and Innocent Nshuti.

Thanks to the victory, South Africa are no longer in control of Group C after picking up three points from their first two games. Rwanda are now leading the group with four points. Nigeria are in third place with two points, while Bafana Bafana are in second place with three points.

Due to goals advantage, Lesotho and Zimbabwe are tied for third place with the same number of points as Nigeria. Benin Republic are last with just a point.

The next round of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers will begin in June 2024 after the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast from January to February 2024.

In June, the Super Eagles will attempt to take advantage of the current standings in Group C by defeating South Africa in Nigeria.

If the Super Eagles who have recorded two draws in their first two 2026 World Cup qualifiers, suffer a draw or a defeat against the Bafana Bafana in June, their hopes of qualifying for the tournament will become almost non-existent.