The Super Eagles secured a spot in the playoff for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers after a 4-0 win over Benin Republic in their final game of the qualifiers on Tuesday.
Victor Osimhen scored a hat-trick, which was followed by a late goal from Frank Onyeka, to ensure Nigeria finish second in Group C, and also picked up one of the four slots allocated to best second place teams among all the groups.
From there they will advance the CAF playoff, a mini tournament which will be played next month in Morocco. The winner might need to win up to four games to reach the 2026 World Cup depending on their FIFA ranking.
Nigeria after the conclusion of all the games in the group will face Gabon for a spot in the final, on November 13th, 2025, with the other final to be contested between Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The winner of the final then advances to the intercontinental playoffs, where six teams from CAF, AFC, CONMEBOL, OFC, and two from CONCACAF will compete.
The four lowest-ranked teams play first, with the winners going on to face the two highest-ranked sides for the final two World Cup spots. The teams who make the final have already sealed a spot in the world cup.
Meanwhile, South Africa will return to the FIFA World Cup for the first time since hosting the tournament in 2010, after narrowly claiming top spot in their qualifying group ahead of Nigeria and Benin.
Benin, chasing a maiden World Cup appearance, started the last round of matches at the summit of Group C, two points ahead of South Africa and three in front of Nigeria. But the team led by former Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr fell to a 4-0 defeat away in Uyo, with Victor Osimhen grabbing a hat-trick for the hosts, a result that saw the Cheetahs slip to third, below their opponents on goal difference.
That opened the door to the South Africans, and Bafana Bafana capitalised as they eased to a 3-0 home win over Rwanda. Thalente Mbatha fired home in the fifth minute, Oswin Appollis whipped in a second midway through the first half and Evidence Makgopa headed in the third in the 72nd minute in Mbombela to seal the ticket for tbe rainbow nation.
