The Super Eagles of Nigeria have begun their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign on a disappointing note, after drawing its first two Group C matches against minnows, Lesotho, at home, and Zimbabwe in neutral Rwanda.
Jose Peseiro’s side sit 3rd in Group C of the African qualifying zone with two points, behind group leaders Rwanda with four points and second-placed South Africa with three points, while the Squirrels of Benin Republic are bottom of the group with one point, having all played two matches apiece.
Despite Africa having 10 slots, only the winners in the nine groups will qualify automatically for the expanded 2026 FIFA World Cup, after the final round-robin matchdays between October 6 and 14, 2025,
The remaining one slot will be contested for by the best four runners-up across the nine groups, who will play two once-off semifinals and a final. Then the winner will go to the FIFA Play-off tournament.
The CAF Play-off tournament will hold between November 10 to 18, 2025, where the winner will be among six nations in the FIFA Play-off tournament, with two countries set to qualify for the tournament proper.
The FIFA play-off tournament will involve one team each from CAF, AFC, CONMEBOL and OFC and two teams from CONCACAF.
The four lowest-ranked nations will meet in bracket semifinals and the two highest-ranked nations will go directly into the finals.
The winners of the two bracket finals will then qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States of America from June to July, 2026.
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