The dream is over now for Nigeria to fly to the 2026 World Cup in United States of America, Mexico and Canada, as any hope of ducking points for South Africa has been buried.
The only road left for Nigeria is a very tortous route of going through the play offs, which obviously does not look to favour the present generation of Super Eagles given their attitude to national assignment.
Moreover, only the four best losers from all the groups based on points haul will qualify for the play offs. If Nigerians had paid attention the calculation when FIFA said should South Africa win their match against Nigeria in Bloemfontein, they will join Morocco and Tunisia to book their passage to the mundial, they would have gone to sleep and forget the world cup.
Nigerian officials and most fans had held on to the dream of FIFA ducking points for South Africa over alleged feeding an ineligible player, Teboho Mokoena against Lesotho,but FIFA has finally poured cold water on that delusion.
FIFA has ruled out any disciplinary action against South Africa over allegations of fielding an ineligible player during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, effectively ending Nigeria’s hopes of gaining an advantage in Group C through administrative sanctions.
In a formal statement released this week, FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee confirmed that South Africa’s national team, Bafana Bafana, faces no sanctions regarding the eligibility of midfielder Teboho Mokoena, who was alleged to have been suspended due to yellow card accumulation ahead of the March qualifier against Lesotho.
The much-anticipated ruling ends weeks of speculation and delivers a significant boost to South Africa’s qualification campaign. A guilty verdict could have resulted in a 3-0 forfeiture, a points deduction, and potential fines — a scenario that would have dramatically reshaped the group standings.
Instead, the decision upholds South Africa’s result in the controversial match, allowing them to retain all points earned and maintain a strong position in the race for World Cup qualification from Group C.
For Nigeria’s Super Eagles, the outcome is a major setback. The three-time African champions had been closely monitoring the proceedings, hopeful that a ruling against South Africa could open the door for a recalibration of the group standings in their favor.
With the Disciplinary Committee’s decision now final, Nigeria’s path to the 2026 World Cup has grown considerably steeper. Following a 1-1 draw against South Africa in Bloemfontein earlier in the campaign, the Super Eagles now face mounting pressure to win their remaining matches and rely on other results to either secure an automatic spot or qualify through the playoff route.
FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee oversees a broad spectrum of issues, including player eligibility, on-field misconduct, and violations by federations and supporters. The committee’s processes are detailed and often protracted, with certain outcomes subject to appeal. While several nations have faced disciplinary action during the current qualification cycle, the scrutiny surrounding South Africa’s case was particularly intense due to its potential impact on the tightly contested Group C.
As the qualifying rounds near their conclusion, Nigeria must now focus squarely on performance, with no administrative reprieve expected from their closest rivals.
Nigeria currently rank third in Group C with 11 points same as Rwanda but ahead on goal diffeernce while South Africa tops the group with 17 points and Benin is in second with 14 points.
Nigeria’s two last games in October are against Lesotho in South Africa and Benin Republic in Uyo.
If Nigeria misses back-to-back world cup, it would mean some of our best players will not showcase their talents at the highest stage for the round leather game.
