Nigeria’s match against South Africa in the 2026 world cup qualifiers ended in a draw as an own goal by Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong and an equalizer from Calvin Bassey saw Nigeria held to a 1-1 draw in Bloemfontein on Tuesday.
The Super Eagles’ failure to secure maximum points away to South Africa in Bloemfontein leaves Nigeria’s 2026 World Cup hopes hanging by a thread.
With two matches left to play in the group, Nigeria are 6 points behind South Africa who are topping Group C with 17 points, while the Super Eagles are on 11 points alongside Benin Republic who have a match at hand.
In the 25th minute of yesterday’s game, disaster struck for Nigeria as an unfortunate own goal from captain William Troost-Ekong handed South Africa the lead, putting the Bafana Bafana players ahead.
Nigeria refused to be beaten and responded just before half-time. Calvin Bassey’s header, controversial yet powerful, flew into the net to level the score at 1-1, silencing the crowd.
In the second half, Nigeria slowly began to seize control, their dominance growing despite South Africa’s unwavering resilience.
In the dying minutes, Nigeria threw everything forward, but the crucial second goal remained out of reach. The missed opportunity all but dashed their hopes of qualification.
Despite a late surge from Nigeria, the crucial second goal eluded them, leaving their qualification hopes hanging by a thread.
