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Nigeria’s Super Eagles will have to take the long road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup after missing out on automatic qualification, despite a dominant 4-0 win over Benin Republic in Uyo on Tuesday night, Footynaija.com reports.
Victor Osimhen was the standout performer, scoring a stunning hat-trick at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium to spoil Gernot Rohr’s return to Nigeria.
Yet, even that brilliance was not enough to overtake South Africa, whose 3-0 victory over Rwanda in Mbombela ensured they topped Group C by a single point.
That result secured Bafana Bafana a return to the World Cup for the first time since 2010, when they hosted the tournament.
For Nigeria, who missed the 2022 edition in Qatar, the wait for automatic qualification goes on, though their hopes of reaching North America remain alive.
Brentford’s Frank Onyeka delivered one of the most important goals in recent Nigerian football history. His stoppage-time strike confirmed Nigeria’s place among the four best runners-up in African qualifying, narrowly edging Burkina Faso on goal difference after both sides finished level on points. It was a cruel blow for Burkina Faso, who missed out because results against sixth-placed teams were discarded following Eritrea’s pre-qualification withdrawal from Group A.
Nigeria now join Cameroon, DR Congo, and Gabon in the play-offs that will decide which African nation proceeds to the inter-confederation World Cup play-offs in Mexico next March.
Gabon finished second in Group F behind Ivory Coast after beating Burundi 2-0, while DR Congo secured the runners-up spot in Group B behind Senegal.
Cameroon, meanwhile, finished second in Group D after drawing their final match, allowing Cape Verde to qualify for their first-ever World Cup — an extraordinary achievement for the small island nation, which becomes the second smallest country after Iceland to reach the tournament.
The play-off fixtures will be confirmed after the next FIFA World Rankings update on October 23.
Current standings suggest Nigeria, ranked 45th, will face Gabon, ranked 79th, in a one-legged semi-final on November 13 in Morocco.
Cameroon, ranked 52nd, and DR Congo, ranked 60th, are expected to meet in the other semi-final on the same day. The two winners will then clash in a final on November 16, also in Morocco, with the victor advancing to the intercontinental play-offs in Mexico.
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