Nigeria Crash Out of FIFAe World Cup Qualifiers After Another Sad Defeat to South Africa
- South Africa knocked Nigeria out of the FIFAe World Cup qualifiers, taking the final quarterfinal spot with 24 points
- Nigeria and South Africa drew twice in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, leaving Bafana Bafana top of Group C with a six-point lead
- Nigerians are frustrated by injuries from the poor Bloemfontein pitch and FIFA’s silence over South Africa’s alleged ineligible player
Nigeria and South Africa’s football rivalry just got hotter.
After battling to back-to-back draws in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the two countries faced off again, this time in the eSports arena.
Source: Getty Images
The result? South Africa grabbed the last qualifying spot for the FIFAe World Cup, knocking Nigeria out.
Nigeria now find itself looking up at South Africa in two separate competitions.
In the CAF World Cup qualifiers, South Africa leads Group C with 17 points, six ahead of Nigeria, who have 11 points after eight games as seen on FIFA.com.
The Bloemfontein draw left Nigeria needing two wins from their final games, and even then, they must hope South Africa and Benin slip up.
Nigerians angry with South Africa
The 1-1 result in Bloemfontein in the World Cup qualifiers did not just sting on the scoreboard.
Nigerians have voiced anger over the condition of the pitch at the Free State Stadium, which left Wilfred Ndidi and Ola Aina nursing injuries.
Supporters believe SAFA deliberately chose the stadium to unsettle the visitors, calling it an unfair move.
Source: Getty Images
What’s adding fuel to the fire is FIFA’s silence on the possible three-point deduction for South Africa, although that case has now been opened by the football governing body.
Teboho Mokoena was reportedly ineligible for their 2-0 win over Lesotho in March, but no ruling has been made.
If South Africa are docked three points, it could revive Nigeria’s chances of grabbing an automatic ticket to the 2026 World Cup.
South Africa edge Nigeria in FIFAe qualifier
Away from the pitch, Nigeria’s eFootball team also suffered heartbreak.
South Africa edged them out in Group B of the African qualifiers, finishing with 24 points to Nigeria’s 21. That fourth-place finish sent Bafana Bafana to the quarterfinals, where they will face Morocco.
Nigeria, on the other hand, are heading home empty-handed, as the group was topped by Senegal with 37 points, followed by Egypt on 34 and Madagascar with 28.
According to Konami, only two African nations will make it to the finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia later this year, and Nigeria will not be one of them.
Nigeria’s rivalry with South Africa intensifies
This rivalry between Nigeria and South Africa now goes beyond football and eFootball.
Every clash between both nations carries extra weight, and fans on both sides know it.
Nigeria’s supporters are desperate for FIFA’s disciplinary ruling to swing their way, while South Africans are relishing their momentum in both competitions.
SAFA speaks on FIFA probe
In a related development, Legit.ng reported that the South African Football Association (SAFA) has confirmed that it has received official communication from FIFA over the Teboho Mokoena case.
The world football governing body took its time to initiate proceedings against SAFA six months after the divisive game against Lesotho in March.
Source: Legit.ng
