S’Eagles, Bafana Bafana to Renew Rivalry in 2026 World Cup Qualifiers

*Joined by Gernot Rohr’s Benin Cheetahs, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Lesotho in Group C

Femi Solaja 

Nigeria and South Africa football rivalry has been rekindled by the draw of the 2026 FIFA World Cup African qualifying series held yesterday as both countries have been paired in Group C along with Benin Republic, Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Lesotho. 

At a colourful ceremony held in Abidjan, Cote d’ Ivoire, Nigeria seeded top in Group C were handed the cruel fate of having to contend with the country’s 

former senior national team handler, Gernot Rohr, who is in charge of Cheetahs of Benin.

Given the acrimonious manner the former German defender was sacked from the Super Eagles job after leading Nigeria to the World Cup in Russia as well as winning a bronze at the 2019 AFCON in Egypt, is bound to create anger in Rohr to want to prove a point.

With his deep knowledge of Nigerian players and football mentality, Benin Republic may be the Third Force in Group C.

However, ball fans in the country may want to put all their attentions towards the fixtures involving Super Eagles and the Bafana Bafana who Nigeria had beaten seven times in 14 encounters.  Only once has South Africa beaten Nigeria and it was in a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in Uyo.

Both teams first met in October of 1992 which was the first official international football outing by the rainbow nation just coming out of isolation after dumping their apartheid policies.

Captain Stephen Keshi led Eagles to a resounding 4-0 victory at the National Stadium while the return leg in Johannesburg ended goalless as Nigeria went on to  pick one of Africa’s three tickets to the mundial in USA.. 

As the host of the 2010 World Cup finals, South Africa still played in the qualifying tournament with  Nigeria gaining a  2-0 victory at home and consolidating with a lone goal win in the reverse fixture in Johannesburg.

They last met at the quarter-finals of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt. In the World Cup qualifiers, the Super Eagles have played four times against South Africa, winning three and draw one. 

Super Eagles would be looking to right the wrongs of the 2022 World Cup when they lost out to Ghana in the qualifying playoffs by an away goal.

The qualifying round of matches will start on November 13,2023  on home and away basis. 

The group winners will pick the automatic tickets while best four runners up will go into inter-continental playoffs for an additional one ticket for Africa.

HOW THEY PAIRED

Group A: Egypt, B’Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra-Leone, Ethiopia, and Djibouti. 

Group B: Senegal, DR Congo, Mauritania, Togo, Sudan, and South Sudan. 

Group C: Nigeria, South Africa, Benin, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, and Lesotho. 

Group D: Cameroon, Cape Verde, Angola, Libya, Eswatini, and Mauritius. 

Group E: Morocco, Zambia, Congo, Tanzania, Niger, and Eritrea. 

Group F: Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Kenya, The Gambia, Burundi, and Seychelles. 

Group G: Algeria, Guinea, Uganda, Mozambique, Botswana, and Somalia. 

Group H: Tunisia, E’Guinea, Namibia, Malawi, Liberia, and São Tomé & P.

Group I: Mali, Ghana, Madagascar, Central African Rep., Comoros, and Chad.