South Africa’s Minister of Sports, Arts, and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, has said he would prefer that Nigeria’s Super Eagles do not qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, citing tensions between the two countries during the qualification campaign.
McKenzie made the remarks during an interview with Radio 947 in Johannesburg, where he accused Nigerian football officials of allegedly working against South Africa’s qualification bid.
The comments come amid a competitive qualification series in which both nations were drawn in the same group. South Africa had earlier faced a setback when FIFA deducted three points for fielding an ineligible player, briefly endangering their chances of automatic qualification.
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Nigeria took advantage of the situation and recorded back-to-back wins in their final matches, intensifying the race for the top spot.
However, South Africa eventually secured first place in Group C after a 3–0 victory over Rwanda on the final day, confirming their return to the World Cup for the first time since 2010.
Nigeria, on the other hand, finished second in the group and must now navigate the continental playoff route to stand a chance of reaching the global tournament.
Speaking on the rivalry, McKenzie said South Africans were not in support of Nigeria’s World Cup campaign.
“I heard you saying earlier that we [South Africa] were also rooting for Nigeria,” he said. “I want to make it very clear that I wish for them not to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.”
The minister, a former community activist and businessman, claimed that Nigeria had allegedly tried to influence events during South Africa’s qualification campaign.
“I knew what they did behind the scenes for us not to get there. I want them to lose; they will not go to the World Cup. Another African country should go,” McKenzie added.
He, however, clarified that his comments were not personal but reflected what he described as a healthy sporting rivalry between the two footballing nations.
“It’s not that I don’t like Nigeria. It’s just rivalry — like the one between [Kaizer] Chiefs and [Orlando] Pirates,” he said.
Nigeria will face Gabon in the continental playoff tournament in November. A win would see the Super Eagles advance to a final playoff tie against either Congo DR or Cameroon, where victory would secure one of Africa’s remaining intercontinental playoff slots.
Failure to progress would mean Nigeria missing consecutive World Cup appearances for the first time since 1994.
