By KUNLE SOLAJA

Clash of Neighbours as Stakes Soar

Neighbours Nigeria and Benin Republic will renew their rivalry in what promises to be one of their fiercest clashes ever, as the race for the 2026 FIFA World Cup reaches its climax this Tuesday.

Ordinarily, this fixture might once have been regarded as a routine win for Nigeria. But times have changed — and the pendulum now swings unpredictably as both nations fight for a place on football’s biggest stage.

Photo caption: Super Eagles in training ahead of the decisive clash in Uyo. (Photo: NFF Media)

The ‘Third Dog’ Scenario

A drama reminiscent of when two dogs fight over a bone and a third carries it away could unfold if Nigeria beat Benin and South Africa also beat Rwanda.

In that case, both Nigeria and Benin would lose the automatic ticket, with South Africa clinching qualification to the 2026 World Cup if Nigeria beat Benin and Rwanda fail to either hold or beat South Africa.

South Africa may be an unintended benefeciary of the Nigeria – Benin match

Fair Play Could Decide the Ticket

If Nigeria beat Benin and both teams finish level on 17 points with identical goal difference, the disciplinary record becomes the tiebreaker.

• Benin Republic’s Yohan Roche and Sessi d’Almeida will be key absentees on Tuesday.
• Going into the final match, nine Nigerian players have been cautioned, including Ademola Lookman (two yellow cards).
• Benin have 11 players on their caution list, with three already serving double-yellow suspensions. The three are: Dodo Dokou ( who serve his match ban in the duel witht Zimbabwe), Johan Roche and Sessi D’Almeida (both serving match ban in this Tuesday’s match).

Head-to-Head History

This will be the 24th meeting between both nations:

• Nigeria: 16 wins
• Draws: 6
• Benin: 1 win

Nigeria have scored 61 goals against Benin and conceded 11 in all encounters.

Record Victories and First Encounters

Before Nigeria’s 10–0 demolition of São Tomé and Príncipe three years ago, their biggest win was a 10–1 triumph over Benin (then Dahomey) on 29 November 1959.

A rare colour photograph of Nigeria’s earliest encounter with Benin (then Dahomey) The Nigerian team, in red and tagged Red Devils, beat Dahomey 10-1 66 years ago.

Interestingly, Benin’s first-ever international match was also against Nigeria — on 8 November 1959. Nigeria won 1-0 in the encounter played at Porto Novo.

Historic Upset in 2024

When Benin beat Nigeria 2–1 on Matchday 4 of the current qualifiers, it was their first-ever victory over the Super Eagles — a historic upset that reignited this long-standing rivalry.

Pioneers and Goal Heroes

• Abudu Buraimoh became Nigeria’s first hat-trick scorer in that 1959 match when Nigeria beat the then Dahomey 10-1.
• Elkanah Onyeali netted four goals in the same game.
• The very first Nigerian goal against Benin came from Albert Onyeawuna in a 1–0 win in Porto Novo in 1959.

Valentine and January Goal Feasts

Nigeria once celebrated Valentine’s Day in style — thrashing Benin 7–0 on 14 February 1977.
The then Green Eagles followed that up with another 7–0 win on 14 January 1978.

Adokiye’s Academic Debut

The magical left winger Adokiye Amiesimaka made his international debut while still an undergraduate at the University of Lagos, featuring in Nigeria’s 7–0 win over Benin on 14 February 1977.

Jatau’s Rare International Goal

Nigeria Professional League’s first top scorer, Ishaya Jatau, recorded his only international goal in a 1990 AFCON qualifier against Benin in Cotonou on 30 September 1990.

Yobo’s Unbroken Run Ended

It was also in a Benin–Nigeria fixture that Joseph Yobo’s record of 23 consecutive full AFCON appearances (2002–2010) came to an end.

Benin Republic put an end the streak of Yobo at Afcon.

In the 16 January 2010 match in Benguela, Angola, Yobo was injured in the 55th minute and replaced by Onyekachi Apam.

Benin’s ‘Other Super Eagles’

Over a decade ago, Benin Republic fielded a team filled with players of Nigerian descent, earning the tag “The Other Super Eagles.”
They included:
Muri Ogunbiyi, Jonas Oketola, Emmanuel Fabiyi, Razak Omotoyossi, Babatounde Bello, Moussa Latoundji, and Wasiou Oladikpokpo.

Even today, players of Nigerian origin continue to feature prominently in Benin’s national squad. Even the scorer of their last goal in Rwanda, Tosin Aiyegun is of Nigerian descent. Tosin was born in Nigeria to a Nigerian father and Beninese mother.

Nigerian-born Oluwatosin Aiyegun put Benin ahead in the Group C World Cup qualifier

Conclusion

Beyond the numbers and nostalgia, Tuesday’s encounter is more than a football match — it’s a battle for pride, redemption, and history.
For Nigeria, victory could keep hope alive. For Benin, it could cement their greatest footballing chapter yet.

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BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

Just as it happened two decades ago, Nigeria’s World Cup hopes now rest in the hands of Rwanda. The Super Eagles must not only defeat Benin Republic in Uyo on Tuesday, the final match day of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying series, but also hope that Rwanda can hold or beat South Africa in their decisive encounter.

This situation mirrors the dramatic climax of the 2006 World Cup qualifying series, when Nigeria also depended on Rwanda to do them a favour.

On that fateful October 8 day, the Super Eagles crushed Zimbabwe 5–1 at the Abuja National Stadium, but in Kigali, where the team’s hopes rested, Angola snatched a late winner against the hosts.

That goal proved fatal for Nigeria’s campaign. Both Nigeria and Angola finished level on points, but the Angolans advanced to Germany 2006 on a superior head-to-head record — despite Nigeria’s better goal difference.

Now, twenty years later, history threatens to repeat itself. Once again, Rwanda stand between Nigeria and a World Cup ticket — this time with South Africa in place of Angola.

Nigerian fans will be hoping that, unlike in 2005, fortune finally smiles on the Super Eagles when the final whistle blows on Tuesday.

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Nigeria’s Super Eagles will go all out for victory against the Cheetahs of Benin Republic this Tuesday, hoping for a favourable result from Nelspruit as the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers reach their dramatic conclusion.

Group C leaders Benin Republic, with 17 points, have destiny in their hands — a win at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo will earn them a historic first-ever qualification for the FIFA World Cup.

But the Super Eagles, who have not missed two consecutive World Cup finals since making their debut in 1994, are determined to keep that proud record intact. Head coach Eric Sekou Chelle has vowed that his side will “give everything” to secure a decisive win and keep their qualification hopes alive.

Despite sitting third in the group, Nigeria remain the most consistent side statistically — the only team among the top three to have lost just once.

Second-placed South Africa, on 15 points, and leaders Benin have each suffered two defeats. The Bafana Bafana host Rwanda’s Amavubi in Mbombela at the same time Nigeria battle in Uyo.

Benin, led by former Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr, have enjoyed a remarkable campaign and need only a point — provided South Africa do not win — to secure their World Cup dream. In contrast, Nigeria are chasing a seventh appearance at the global showpiece, having reached the Round of 16 three times in their history.

Captain William Troost-Ekong and midfielder Alex Iwobi, both survivors of the 2018 tournament in Russia, will lead the charge for redemption. Ekong, who was named Man of the Tournament at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, is set for his 83rd cap, while Iwobi will make his 89th appearance.

Several of Nigeria’s current stars — including Victor Osimhen, the reigning Africa Player of the Year; defenders Calvin Bassey and Ola Aina; midfielders Frank Onyeka and Raphael Onyedika; and wingers Samuel Chukwueze, Moses Simon, and Ademola Lookman — are still seeking their first World Cup appearance.

However, the Super Eagles will be without Lookman, who is suspended, as well as injured wing-backs Aina and Bright Osayi-Samuel. Benin will also miss key players Yohan Roche and Sessi d’Almeida, both serving suspensions.

The Cheetahs, with only four Africa Cup of Nations appearances and a best finish of the quarter-finals in 2019, face the far more experienced Nigerians, who boast 20 AFCON appearances, three titles, and five runner-up finishes.

While Benin’s 11.5 million citizens will rally behind Rohr’s men, Nigeria’s 220 million supporters — including thousands expected at the Uyo stadium — will hope for a performance worthy of their pedigree.

A two-goal win for Nigeria combined with a draw or defeat for South Africa against Rwanda would hand the Super Eagles an automatic ticket to the 23rd FIFA World Cup to be jointly hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico next summer.

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