By Wale Mustapha
South Africa head coach Hugo Broos is hoping Nigeria can overcome Benin Republic in their final 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match to boost Bafana Bafana’s chances of advancing to the next round.
South Africa were held to a goalless draw by Zimbabwe in their Matchday 9 fixture on Friday, despite dominating possession and creating several scoring opportunities. The result leaves Broos’ side in a precarious position in Group C.
Benin Republic, meanwhile, moved to the top of the group after defeating Rwanda 1–0, while Nigeria sit third following a narrow 2–1 win away at Lesotho.
For South Africa to finish top of the group and qualify automatically, they must defeat Rwanda in their final match and rely on Nigeria beating Benin Republic.
Broos, 73, expressed disappointment after the Zimbabwe draw but remained optimistic about Tuesday’s fixture.
“This is not good, also that we don’t have the result in our favour either, but what can I say? I can’t blame my team, I can’t be angry,” he told SABC Sport. “I’m just very disappointed that we could not score the goal that we needed.”
Looking ahead, Broos added: “We have to play again like today and try to win that game and see what happens. If everything goes the way it should—maybe Benin loses to Nigeria—then, depending on the goal difference, we could still top the group.”
South Africa face Rwanda in their final group match, while Nigeria take on Benin Republic in what could be the decisive fixture in Group C.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
