South Africa, Gabon and 6 Other Countries That Could Deny Super Eagles World Cup Ticket
- Nigeria's chance of playing at the 2026 FIFA World Cup was dealt a massive blow after the draw against Zimbabwe
- The Super Eagles are now six points behind South Africa, who are on course to pick Group C’s automatic slot
- Nigeria's only other option is finishing as one of the best four second-placed teams to go through the playoffs
The Super Eagles of Nigeria face the real possibility of missing out on the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a disappointing 1-1 draw against Zimbabwe on Tuesday.
Tawanda Chirewa pounced on a defensive mix-up in the 90th minute to cancel Victor Osimhen's goal to secure a point that will hurt Nigeria in the long run.
Source: Twitter
Nigeria are fourth in Group C, one point behind Rwanda and Benin Republic in second and third, and six points behind group leaders South Africa.
This has further made the chances of Nigeria qualifying for the tournament even more difficult, if not impossible yet at this stage with four games left.
Countries in Nigeria’s path
FIFA will organise the expanded 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States of America, Mexico and Canada, the first Mundial to be competed by 48 nations.
According to FIFA, UEFA have 16 automatic slots, CAF have nine, AFC have eight, CONCACAF and CONMEBOL have six each, and OFC have one.
In the CAF qualification series, there are nine groups, with the group winners securing automatic qualification, while there's an opportunity for four second-placed teams to go through the playoffs.
Source: Twitter
The Super Eagles have seven points in fourth place, one behind the second and third and must win their remaining four games to have the chance of at least finishing second.
However, this may not be enough as they are currently worse in points than eight out of the second-placed teams across other groups and are unlikely to finish among the top four.
As noted by Naija Footballers, Gabon currently lead that table with 15 points, while Cameroon, Senegal, Namibia, Comoros, and Mozambique have 12 points each, with Burkina Faso having 11.
If Nigeria win their remaining four games and accumulate 12 points, their overall tally will move to 19 points. While this may or may not be enough to overtake South Africa in Group C, would it be enough to finish fourth on the playoffs table?
The Super Eagles need to earn their available points and also wish that South Africa, Gabon, Cameroon, Senegal, Namibia, Comoros, Mozambique and Burkina Faso drop points.
In essence, Nigeria need 12 maximum points in the final four games and need eight other countries to drop points, which will take extremely miraculous situations.
Eric Chelle reacts to Nigeria's draw
Legit.ng reported that Eric Chelle made an honest admission after Nigeria played a disappointing 1-1 draw against Zimbabwe at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium on Tuesday.
The manager claimed his team was the best on the pitch and deserved to win but admitted that they made some mistakes which cost them victory even though they were the best team.
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Source: Legit.ng
