Nigeria’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification hopes suffered a major blow on Tuesday evening as the Super Eagles battled to a 1-1 draw against South Africa’s Bafana Bafana in Bloemfontein.
The result leaves Nigeria’s chances of securing an automatic ticket virtually impossible, with just two games left to play.
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Without injured star Victor Osimhen, the Super Eagles started nervously and suffered an early setback when Ola Aina limped off in the 7th minute.
South Africa capitalised midway through the first half as captain William Troost-Ekong turned Mohau Nkota’s cross into his own net.
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Nigeria responded just before halftime through Calvin Bassey, who powered home a superb header from Tom Dele-Bashiru’s delivery.
READ ALSO: South Africa vs Nigeria (LIVE UPDATES): Eagles battle Bafana in crucial World Cup qualifier
Despite dominating the second half and creating several chances, Ademola Lookman, Alex Iwobi, and Tolu Arokodare failed to find a winner.
With Bafana Bafana leading Group C on 17 points and Nigeria stuck on 11 from eight matches, the Super Eagles now face an uphill battle and risk missing the second successive World Cup tournament having also missed out in the 2022 edition in Qatar.
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