The Super Eagles of Nigeria secured 2-1 victory over Lesotho on Friday, a result which has kept their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification hope alive heading into the final match of the group.
Goals from captain William Troost-Ekong and debutant Akor Adams were just enough to give Nigeria a much-needed 3 points, but the win was not enough to put the Super Eagles in pole position for the sole automatic qualification spot from group C.
The win lifted Nigeria to 14 points, but they remain in third place in the group standings behind Benin Republic (17 points) and South Africa (15 points), who are occupying the first and second positions respectively. With only the group winners guaranteed an automatic ticket to the 2026 World Cup and the four best runners-up advancing to the play-offs, Nigeria’s path to qualification is clear but may not be entirely in their hands.
Can Nigeria still qualify? The answer is YES!. The Super Eagles must now defeat group leaders Benin with either a 1-0 scoreline or at least a 2-goal margin, and also hope that South Africa fails to win their match against Rwanda. If all these conditions are met, the Super Eagles would top the group and automatically secure their place at next year’s World Cup.
If Nigeria manages to finish second, there’s still a slim chance of qualifying for the playoffs. The withdrawal of Eritrea may lead to changes in African qualification process for the 2026 World Cup. At the moment, only the winners of each group will automatically qualify, while the four best runners-up will advance to a play-off that will decide the additional spot for the tournament taking place next year.
With Eritrea’s exit, CAF and FIFA are considering excluding the points gained by each team against the last-placed team in each group when determining the four best runners-up. This proposal arises because Eritrea’s group now has only five teams, while the others still have six, thereby creating an imbalance. This favours Nigeria, as only two points would be deducted from their total point tally should FIFA and CAF decide to apply this change.
A final decision is expected to be made in the coming days.
This change could boost Nigeria’s hope of participating in the 2026 World Cup. Under this new scenario, if South Africa wins their game against Rwanda, the Eagles would need to win their game against Benin Republic(with the required scoreline) to finish in second place and hope results in other groups go in their favour to be among the best runners-up, which will give them a chance to qualify via play-off.
The hope is still alive, the Super Eagles now need to at least win their last game and hope other results go in their favour in order to return to football’s biggest stage after missing out on the 2022 edition.
