Former Nigerian international Brown Ideye says the Super Eagles have a slim chance of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup despite South Africa’s points deduction.
Recall that Nigeria’s dreams of reaching the 2026 World Cup were boosted after South Africa was docked three points for fielding an ineligible player in a qualifying match.
Teboho Mokoena appeared for Bafana Bafana in a 2-0 win over Lesotho in March despite being suspended for accumulating too many yellow cards in previous matches.
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With the deduction, South Africa drop from first to second in CAF Group C, pushing Benin to the top spot on goal difference. This shuffle directly benefits Nigeria, who was sitting in third place with 11 points.
The Super Eagles must win all their remaining matches, including the crunch clash against Benin on October 14, to at least end the qualifiers with 17 points and hope South Africa and Benin drop points.
Reacting via his official X handle, Ideye questioned how the Super Eagles got to this difficult position.
“Not in our hands anymore, just win these two games and pray South Africa drop points, which I don’t see them doing. How did we get here? Question I ask myself sometimes.”
