How Nigeria’s Super Eagles Can Still Qualify for the 2026 World Cup Without FIFA’s Help

• Nigeria must win both remaining World Cup qualifiers and hope South Africa loses both to top Group C
• If direct qualification fails, Super Eagles could sneak into playoffs via the best second-place route
• Qualification chances for the World Cup are slim, and Nigeria will rely heavily on other teams dropping points

Nigeria’s chances of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup are hanging by a thread, after another poor result all but ended the little hope of many die-hard fans.

The 1-1 draw against South Africa in Bloemfontein left the Super Eagles in third place in Group C, six points behind Bafana Bafana with just two matches to go.

South Africa sits comfortably on 17 points, while Benin are second with 14 points, with Nigeria and Rwanda tied on 11 points, as seen on FIFA.com.

To finish top of Group C and grab the automatic qualification spot, the Super Eagles must win both of their remaining fixtures against Lesotho and Benin, but that’s not all.

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Nigerians must also pray that South Africa loses both of their final matches, and by wide enough margins to overturn the +6 goal difference advantage they currently hold over Nigeria.

Benin must also drop points in at least one of their final three matches.

So mathematically, the Super Eagles can still qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

Nigeria to explore playoff route

With direct qualification nearly out of reach, the Super Eagles can fall back to Plan B.

This is to finish second in Group C and hope to be among the four best second-placed teams across the nine CAF qualifying groups, the Guardian reports.

Those four will enter a playoff mini-tournament, with one team advancing to the intercontinental playoff for a final World Cup ticket.

However, this route is not easy.

Even if Nigeria reach 17 points by winning their final two games, they may still be behind other second-placed countries like Gabon, Madagascar, Cameroon, Congo, and Burkina Faso.

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So even the “best runners-up” route depends on multiple teams not getting the needed points across several groups.

Slim hopes for the Super Eagles

As things stand, Nigeria’s qualification chances for the 2026 World Cup are not just slim, they are nearly academic.

The Super Eagles must now play with discipline, as it is not just about winning anymore, it is about winning big and hoping other countries still in the race for the World Cup ticket lose badly.

If South Africa drops points in their final two games and Benin also stumble, Nigeria hits top gear in their last two fixtures, the door might creak open again.

But except a miracle happens, the 2026 World Cup could go on without the Super Eagles, and it will be the second consecutive time they will miss out on the global showpiece.

Nigeria demands sanctions against South Africa

In a related development, Legit.ng reported that the Nigeria Football Federation has sent an official letter to FIFA, demanding that South Africa forfeit three points and three goals in the World Cup qualifiers.

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Gernot Rohr rates Nigeria’s chances of qualifying for 2026 WC after draw vs South Africa

Bafana Bafana fielded an ineligible player during their 2-0 win over Lesotho in March, with the game, plunging the group situation into uncertainty.

Source: Legit.ng