Nigeria faces the ignominy of not qualifying for the African playoff for the 2026 World Cup following Benin Republic’s 4-0 defeat of Lesotho on Tuesday in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.

Nigeria held South Africa to a 1-1 draw in their eighth game of the 2026 World Cup qualifying series to move to the third position in Group C, while the Cheetahs’ 4-0 bashing of Lesotho catapulted them to the second position behind leaders, South Africa.

To qualify for the playoffs, the Super Eagles must be one of the four best second-place finishers of the nine-group series. This means they must win the remaining two games against Lesotho and the Benin Republic, while hoping the Cheetahs lose or draw theirs.

If Benin Republic wins any of their two matches, that would put them on 17 points and on better goal difference than Nigeria. Gernot Rohr’s men could even qualify for their first World Cup if FIFA, as expected, deducts three points and three goals from South Africa’s tally as punishment for the Bafana Bafana’s use of an ineligible Teboho Mokoena in one of the games against Lesotho.

Rwanda could even overtake Nigeria on the log if the last two games go their way. They defeated Zimbabwe 1-0 in Harare, a win that took them to the same 11 points with Nigeria, with the Super Eagles only in third position on superior goals difference.

With 17 points, South Africa are firmly in control of Group C and need just one more win to seal their World Cup ticket.
It is mathematically still possible for the Super Eagles to qualify automatically, but that will only happen if the Bafana Bafana lose their remaining games against Benin Republic and Rwanda, as well as FIFA deducting three points from them.

The bottom line is that Nigeria must win all its games to benefit from any disaster that befalls the Benin Republic and South Africa. Again, they must defeat the Benin Republic in Uyo to stand a chance of qualifying for the African playoff.