Bafana Bafana beware! Nigeria make statement ahead of South Africa clash

Bafana Bafana have their work cut out in their World Cup qualifier against Nigeria after the Super Eagles secured a vital 1-0 win over Rwanda on Saturday.

South Africa and Nigeria clash in Bloemfontein on Tuesday in a match that a win for either will greatly boost their chances of making it to the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Hugo Broos’ men lead Group C with 16 points from seven matches, five more than second-placed Benin, and six ahead of Nigeria and a win for Bafana Bafana will edge them closer to sealing a direct ticket.

Nigeria’s win puts Bafana in a tight spot

However, victory for Nigeria would see the Super Eagles move to within three points of South Africa and assuming Benin also win on matchday eight, they could move to within two points of Broos’ team, complicating the arithmetic for South Africa.

Nigeria will come to the Free State Stadium motivated after the hard-fought win over Rwanda thanks to a solitary goal scored by new Wolves striker Tolu Arokodare in the 51^st minute.

That revived the Super Eagles’ World Cup hopes and they now know a win in South Africa would bring them back in the mix with two games remaining.

What has the Super Eagles coach said?

Nigeria coach Eric Chelle hailed the win, saying it was a great motivation for the game against South Africa, but his selection raised eyebrows when captain William Troost-Ekong was left out of the squad.

“This is my choice. I do not need to explain. My job is to make decisions. Winning proves the decision was good.  If I fix something, it is based on my heart and analysis. My technical staff and I evaluate players carefully before deciding,” said the former Mali coach as per Nigeria's People’s Gazette.

The match against South Africa will kick off at 18:00 on Tuesday with Bafana Bafana keen to maintain their 16-game unbeaten run.