By KUNLE SOLAJA

The Super Eagles currently sit in a precarious position in Group C of the CAF 2026 qualifiers. With just seven points from six matches, the Super Eagles trail South Africa, Rwanda and Benin.

To realistically stay in contention before December’s World Cup draw, here’s what the fixtures demand:

• Nigeria vs Rwanda (Home, 6 September 2025)

Rwanda are second on the Group C table. Victory in Uyo is non-negotiable if Nigeria want to wrest control of the group. Another slip ends Nigeria’s dream. The target should be three points and, if possible, a clean sheet to help goal-difference tiebreaks.

• South Africa vs Nigeria (Away, 9 September 2025 – Bloemfontein)

Playing in the high altitude of Bloemfontein, the Super Eagles face their fiercest rivals in the group. South Africa already secured a point in Uyo and will see this as a chance to widen the gap. A win keeps Nigeria alive, but defeat could end the World Cup 2026 dream.

A win would be a huge bonus and swing momentum Nigeria’s way, especially if South Africa stumbles in their preceding tie with Lesotho.

• Lesotho vs Nigeria (Away, October 2025)

By the time of this match, Lesotho are expected to gain three points from South Africa’s ineligible-player sanction, reshaping the table.

With the likelihood of the fixture being held in South Africa, conditions won’t favour Nigeria. Dropping points here would virtually end qualification hopes. It is therefore mandatory that Nigeria target three points.

• Nigeria vs Benin (Home, October 2025)

Benin have been the group’s disruptors and have previously hurt Nigeria. Coached by former Super Eagles boss Gernot Rohr, they are compact, counterpunch well, and are strong on set-pieces. Head-to-head could prove decisive; Nigeria must reverse earlier damage and build a goal difference.

For the Super Eagles to be relevant participants in the December Final draw of the 2026 World Cup, a lot of mathematics will be involved. The summary stands thus:

• September Window Goal: 4–6 points (beat Rwanda at home; draw or win against South Africa in Bloemfontein).
• October Window Goal: 6 points (win away to Lesotho; beat Benin at home).

Total Aim before December: 10–12 points from these four fixtures to remain in control of a direct slot — or, worst case, to be among the strongest runners-up.

Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H

By KUNLE SOLAJA.

Nigeria’s path to the expanded 48-team FIFA World Cup in 2026 will become clearer on Friday, December 5, when the final draw for the tournament takes place at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC.

The draw, announced jointly by U.S. President Donald J. Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino at the White House, is more than a ceremonial milestone.

 For Nigeria, still battling through the African qualifying series, the Washington event could define the scale of the challenge that awaits if the Super Eagles secure one of Africa’s coveted slots.

Unlike previous editions, the 2026 tournament—co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada—will be the largest in history, featuring 48 teams.

Ten nations have already sealed qualification, including Argentina, Brazil, Japan, Iran, and debutants Jordan and Uzbekistan. By December, 42 teams will have confirmed their participation, with the remaining six to be decided in the inaugural intercontinental play-off tournament next March in North America.

For Nigeria, the December draw is layered with significance. First, it serves as a reminder that qualification remains unfinished business.

With the Super Eagles caught in a tightly contested African qualifying pool, every dropped point could prove costly.

Second, the expanded tournament format means Africa has a record nine direct slots plus a potential tenth via the intercontinental play-offs.

This widens Nigeria’s prospects but also intensifies competition from emerging African sides like Morocco, Senegal, and Egypt, who have grown stronger on the global stage.

The symbolic choice of Washington’s Kennedy Center also underscores FIFA’s ambition to marry culture and sport in staging the biggest single-sport event ever.

For Nigeria, however, the central concern remains footballing preparedness—ensuring the team, currently under scrutiny for inconsistency and injuries, does not stumble in the decisive qualifying matches leading up to the draw.

By the time the world tunes in at 12:00 local time (18:00 CET) on December 5, 2025, to watch the groupings unveiled, Nigeria will hope to have secured its ticket, avoiding the agony of missing out as it did in 2006 and 2022.

Anything less would reduce the Washington spectacle to a painful reminder of lost opportunity.

The countdown to the Estadio Azteca’s opening match on June 11, 2026, is officially underway. For Nigeria, the clock ticks louder—not just towards the draw in Washington, but towards redemption on the global stage.

Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H

BY KUNLE SOLAJA.

In exactly 20 days, Bloemfontein will host one of Africa’s fiercest football rivalries when South Africa’s Bafana Bafana face Nigeria’s Super Eagles in a crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match.

But beyond the tactical battle, another opponent looms large for the Super Eagles: the unforgiving climate of South Africa’s high plateau.

The match is scheduled for 9 September at the Free State Stadium, a venue sitting at over 1,300 metres above sea level.

For Nigeria, more accustomed to humid, low-altitude conditions, the thinner air and biting winter chill of the Southern Hemisphere could pose a stern physical and mental test.

A Chilling Reminder from 2010
The Super Eagles have been here before — and painfully so. At the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Nigeria’s 2-1 defeat to Greece in Bloemfontein was marked not only by Sani Kaita’s red card but also by visible signs of fatigue and discomfort in the freezing conditions.

Then, Nigeria’s officials chose to base the team in Durban, a coastal city with warm year-round weather, ignoring the fact that two of their three group-stage games were scheduled in colder, high-altitude cities like Johannesburg and Bloemfontein.

 By contrast, England prepared in the Austrian Alps to acclimatise before heading south.

The effects were telling. By the second group game against Greece, players appeared drained even before Kaita’s dismissal.

From personal experience in Bloemfontein, my colleague, Tunde Sulaiman, and I were too frozen to venture outside our hotel the day after the Nigeria-Greece match.

But that was luxury compared to the fate of another journalist who joined us the previous evening.

He was shivering uncontrollably, literally chilled to the marrow. We had to improvise first aid: we sat him down and dipped his feet into a bucket of warm water, using the electric kettle in his room to heat batch after batch.

Without that intervention, the consequences could have been grave. The match with Bafana Bafana on the night of 9 September will therefore also be a battle with the elements.

The Advisory: Prepare for the Elements
This time, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has been warned: preparation must extend beyond tactics. Meteorologists have forecast cold night temperatures in Bloemfontein during the match window, with strong winds also likely to sweep through the Free State.

To withstand the conditions, experts have advised the use of thermal undergarments and altitude-adjusted training sessions ahead of the fixture.

 Failure to adapt could see the Super Eagles suffer the same physical decline and lapses in concentration that cost them dearly in 2010.

South Africa, under coach Hugo Broos, are expected to press high and exploit their natural familiarity with the environment. Nigeria, in turn, will rely on pace and technical sharpness, with the hope of grabbing an early goal to silence the home crowd.

A Rivalry Beyond Weather
For all the climatic concerns, the game remains a continuation of one of Africa’s most storied rivalries.

From Nigeria’s dominance in the 1990s to South Africa’s resurgence in recent years, every encounter carries both footballing and symbolic weight.

This Bloemfontein clash will therefore not only shape the path to the 2026 World Cup but also add a new chapter to a rivalry where bragging rights and national pride are always on the line.

And with the weather tipped to play as big a role as tactics, the Super Eagles must come armed not just with skill and strategy, but also with resilience against the biting Free State cold.

Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H