2026 World Cup qualifiers: Group C wide open as Nigeria beat Lesotho and South Africa drop points

Group C of the African qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup has been blown wide open ahead of the last round of games.

Round 9 of the qualification matches were played on Friday, with Nigeria, Benin, and South Africa chasing wins to enhance their chances of securing a place at next year’s tournament.

Nigeria revived their World Cup ambitions with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Lesotho.

The Super Eagles entered the match third in the group with 11 points, three behind South Africa and leaders Benin Republic, and knew that nothing short of a win would keep them in contention.

Despite dominating the first half, Nigeria failed to convert their chances. Their breakthrough finally came after the interval when captain William Troost-Ekong calmly converted a penalty to open the scoring.

Debutant Akor Adams doubled the advantage with a well-taken strike, but a late defensive lapse allowed Lesotho to pull one back, setting up a tense finish.

With the win, Nigeria remain firmly in the race for qualification and will wrap up their Group C campaign against Benin Republic next Tuesday in Uyo.

While the Super Eagles were beating Lesotho, Benin was also were busy in an encounter against Rwanda.

In a close contest that ensued between the two national teams, Benin scored late to secure an important 1-0 victory at the end of the contest.

The result means Benin continue to lead in Group C with 17 points.

South Africa, on the other hand, suffered a major setback in the qualification race after drawing goalless with Zimbabwe in their Round 9 showdown.

The draw keeps the Bafana Bafana in second place in Group C with 15 points. They must beat Rwanda in their final qualifier and hope Nigeria will see off Benin to guarantee qualification to the World Cup.