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The fate of Nigeria, Benin Republic and South Africa regarding which country will secure the ticket for next year’s FIFA World Cup will be decided on Tuesday evening.
The three countries are in Group C. Benin tops with 17 points, followed by South Africa with 15 points, and Nigeria with 14 points after nine games.
Nigeria will host Benin Republic, while South Africa will face Rwanda, and the kick-off time for all the matches is 5 pm, Nigerian time.
A win for Nigeria with a reasonable number of goals against Gernot Rohr’s men, will see the Super Eagles secure a ticket for the World Cup only if South Africa draws or loses against Rwanda.
DAILY POST reports that Group C of the 2026 World Cup qualifier is a three-horse race between Nigeria, Benin and South Africa.
Only the team with the highest points in Group C will qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Speaking with DAILY POST on Monday, Media Consultant and Football Development Expert, Ibrahim Lawal, gave his thoughts on Group C and the upcoming fixtures between Nigeria vs Benin, and South Africa vs Rwanda.
Lawal said: “It is no longer news that the Super Eagles of Nigeria are in the most precarious situation and in the most complicated group in the ongoing 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
“The Nigeria versus Benin Republic game is a must-win for the Super Eagles, and they must win by a huge goals margin to keep their hope of qualifying for the World Cup alive.
“No team has yet to qualify in the group. Each of the top three teams in Group C can only improve their chances of securing the sole ticket if they win their last qualifying matches.
“However, the permutations don’t really favour the Nigerian team as they need to win against the Benin Republic at all costs and hope South Africa loses to Rwanda, quite an uphill task for the Rwanda team, who are 5th on the log with 11 points.
“So, if Benin loses and South Africa wins, South Africa gets the ticket, while Nigeria will finish second and hope to clinch the play-off slot.
“As a Nigerian, I sincerely hope that the Super Eagles will secure the ticket or at most garner enough points to enter the play-off if they finish second either behind Benin or South Africa.
“The Nigerian team has itself to blame for being in this quagmire, by drawing most of their matches, even against presumably weaker teams like Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Rwanda.
“Now it’s no longer up to us; we have to rely on favours from opponents to be able to scale through.
“I can only wish us good luck; surely the Super Eagles will triumph over the Benin Republic and wait for favours.”
Also, speaking with DAILY POST on Monday, respected Lagos-based journalist, Femi Fabunmi, insisted that South Africa has the best chance to qualify for the World Cup ahead of Nigeria and Benin.
“Group C will go down to the wire as teams like Nigeria, South Africa and Benin can still qualify,” Fabunmi said.
“It will go down to which of them needs it the most. As it stands, South Africa has the best chance, knowing full well that a win will see them through if Benin falters.
“It’s not likely that Benin will defeat Nigeria on home soil. But football is like biscuits, you never can tell where it will crack,” he added.
2026 WCQ ticket: Nigeria, Benin Republic, South Africa in final battle
