Nigeria’s Super Eagles will have to take the long road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup after narrowly missing out on automatic qualification, despite a resounding 4-0 victory over Benin Republic on Tuesday night in Uyo, Soccernet.ng reports.
Victor Osimhen was the star of the show, scoring a stunning hat-trick at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium to end Gernot Rohr’s return on a sour note.
Yet, it was not enough to overtake South Africa, who defeated Rwanda 3-0 in Mbombela to top Group C by a single point.
That victory sent Bafana Bafana back to the World Cup for the first time since 2010, when they hosted the tournament. For Nigeria, who missed out on Qatar 2022, the wait continues but their hopes are still very much alive.
A late goal by Brentford’s Frank Onyeka could prove one of the most significant in Nigeria’s recent football history. His stoppage-time strike ensured the Super Eagles finished as one of the four best runners-up in African qualifying, edging out Burkina Faso on goal difference after both sides finished level on points.
Burkina Faso will feel hard done by, as results against sixth-placed teams were discarded to determine the best runners-up, a consequence of Eritrea’s pre-qualification withdrawal from Group A.
Nigeria now join Cameroon, DR Congo, and Gabon in the play-offs to determine Africa’s representative at the inter-confederation World Cup play-offs in March 2026 in Mexico.
Cameroon, DR Congo, Gabon join Nigeria in African play-offs
Joining Nigeria in the decisive play-offs are three other African heavyweights who fell just short of direct qualification.
Gabon finished second in Group F behind Ivory Coast after beating Burundi 2-0 but saw their rivals’ win over Kenya confirm the Elephants as group winners.
DR Congo edged Sudan to secure the runners-up spot behind Senegal in Group B. Cameroon finished second in Group D after a tense final round saw both them and Libya draw their games, leaving Cape Verde to make history by qualifying for their first-ever World Cup.
The island nation unlocked new achievement levels by becoming the second-smallest country after Iceland to reach a World Cup.
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Super Eagles could face Gabon in semi-final showdown
The play-off fixtures, to be confirmed after the next FIFA World Rankings update on October 23, will pair the highest-ranked runner-up with the lowest-ranked one, and the second-highest with the third.
As it stands, Nigeria (ranked 45th) are the highest-ranked of the quartet, meaning they would face Gabon (79th) in a one-legged semi-final tie on November 13 in Morocco. Cameroon (52nd) and DR Congo (60th) would contest the other semi-final on the same day.
The winners of both ties will meet in the final on November 16, also in Morocco. The victor will progress to the inter-confederation play-offs in Mexico next March, where one African team will battle representatives from Asia, South America, Oceania, and North America for a place at the 2026 World Cup.
Africa’s direct qualifiers confirmed
Nine African nations have already sealed their tickets to North America 2026 as group winners: Egypt, Senegal, South Africa, Cape Verde, Morocco, Ivory Coast, Algeria, Tunisia, and Ghana.