Nigeria vs South Africa
On Friday, Nigeria will host a familiar foe in South Africa at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, as both teams will look to get the upper hand in Group C of the World Cup 2026 African qualifiers.
Rwanda are on top of the group at the moment because of their surprising start, but Nigeria and South Africa both have a shot at reclaiming the top spot, as per the SBOTOP World Cup 2026 odds, which would see them directly qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
On the other hand, the second seed in the group will face a tougher road to America, as they will have to go through the play-off stage, and the teams from the third to sixth places are going to be eliminated.
Neither Nigeria nor South Africa can afford to finish anywhere other than the top seed, making this match important to win.
Talking Points
Nigeria are stacked up front
Finidi George replaced Jose Peseiro as Nigeria’s full-time head coach in February, and the former national team player will be facing his first major test here in the World Cup 2026 qualifiers. Since his appointment, Nigeria have tallied one win and one loss in their March friendlies.
George won’t have his squad at full strength. Both Victor Osimhen and Nathan Tella are out, as the former is injured and the latter requested to be excused due to personal reasons.
The 53-year-old manager also raised eyebrows when he didn’t call up Ahmed Musa and Kenneth Omeruo for the qualifiers, instead picking the likes of Kenneth Igboke, Ismaila Sodiq, and Ibrahim Olawoyin.
Regardless, Nigeria remain one of the most talented teams in the CAF region because of their firepower, with the likes of Ademola Lookman, Victor Boniface, Alex Iwobi, Samuel Chukwueze, Umar Sadiq, and Kelechi Iheanacho capable of creating World Cup 2026 highlights.
Ademola Lookman is the most in-form attacker for the Super Eagles, as he just recorded a hat-trick in their Europa League final victory against the previously undefeated Bayer Leverkusen not too long ago.
In the middle of the park, they have Frank Onyeka and Wilfred Ndidi at the pivot, and at the back, they are fairly strong with Calvin Bassey, Gabriel Osho, and Tyronne Ebuehi in tow.
South Africa are out for revenge
South Africa head coach Hugo Broos may not say it publicly, but he wants his team to secure an upset victory over Nigeria this weekend as a measure of revenge for the tough loss the last time they met.
If they are to defeat Nigeria, South Africa will have to turn to their defence, which has only conceded three goals in seven AFCON matches earlier this year while keeping five clean sheets, to suppress the Super Eagles’ threat.
Unfortunately for Bafana Bafana, their backline depth suffered a major blow recently, as Grant Kekana had to leave the national team after sustaining a hamstring injury.
Kekana is likely to be replaced by Given Msimango, while Nkosinathi Sibisi and Siyabonga Ngezana are additional defencive options for Hugo Broos.
Ronwen Williams, the team’s first-choice goalie and captain, is in contention to start even after he was listed as an injury doubt for this contest.
History
Nigeria and South Africa last met in the AFCON semi-finals last February, with the former winning via penalties after drawing 1-1 in regulation. Nigeria advanced to the finals as a result, but they lost to Ivory Coast 2-1.
South Africa’s last victory over Nigeria was a 2-0 result during the AFCON qualifiers group stage in June 2017, as Tokelo Rantle and Percy Tau both found the back of the net.
In terms of recent form, South Africa have two wins, two draws, and one loss in their last five games across all competitions, while Nigeria have the slight advantage with three wins and two losses in the same period.
Nigeria will be looking to return to the World Cup after missing out on Qatar in 2022. Overall, they have qualified six times, with their best run being a ninth-place finish in 1994, when they went as far as the Round of 16.
As for South Africa, they will aim to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 2010 (as hosts), and their best finish was being the 17th-best nation of the tournament, despite failing to get out of the group stage.
To their credit, South Africa have emerged as one of the most improved teams in Africa in recent years after making it to the Top 10 of the CAF region.
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