South Africa has secured its place at the 2026 World Cup, marking their return to football's premier tournament for the first time since hosting it in 2010. Bafana Bafana clinched the coveted spot with a decisive 3-0 victory over Rwanda on Tuesday. This win ensured they topped Group C in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) qualifiers.
The victory was achieved despite the team being docked three points earlier in the qualifying stages for fielding an ineligible player. Overcoming this setback, South Africa displayed resilience and determination to finish strong and claim the top spot. In their crucial match against Rwanda, Thalente Mbatha, Oswin Appolis and Evidence Makgopa all contributed goals to seal the victory. Appolis also provided two assists, playing a key role in the win.
Meanwhile, Nigeria's Super Eagles secured a play-off lifeline despite missing out on automatic qualification. Nigeria defeated Benin 4-0 in their final Group C match. Victor Osimhen's hat-trick and a late volley from Frank Onyeka powered the Super Eagles to a convincing win.
Despite the victory, South Africa's win meant Nigeria finished second in the group. Nigeria needed to win by a significant margin to secure one of the slots for the best runners-up. The Super Eagles' victory, combined with other results, ensured they qualified for the CAF playoffs as one of the four best runners-up from the nine qualifying groups.
Benin, who led the group before the final round of matches, were overtaken by both South Africa and Nigeria. They finished third in the group after the 4-0 defeat to Nigeria.
Nigeria will now participate in the CAF playoffs for a chance to advance to the inter-confederation playoffs. In the CAF playoffs, the four best runners-up will compete in a series of matches. The winner of the CAF playoff round will then proceed to the FIFA inter-confederation playoff tournament. This tournament will feature six teams from different confederations vying for the final two spots at the 2026 World Cup. The inter-confederation playoffs will involve two teams from CONCACAF and one team each from the AFC, CAF, CONMEBOL, and OFC. The tournament is scheduled to take place in March 2026.
