Hugo Broos relies on Nigeria to help South Africa secure 2026 FIFA World Cup spot

By Wale Mustapha

South Africa’s head coach, Hugo Broos, is looking to Nigeria to play a crucial role in helping his team qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Broos guided Bafana Bafana to a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Lesotho in their Matchday Five qualifier on Friday, with second-half goals from Relebohile Mofokeng and Jayden Adams.

The win kept South Africa in a strong position in the qualifying race, four points ahead of Nigeria, who also secured a 2-0 victory over Rwanda in Kigali on the same day.

Broos emphasized the significance of Nigeria’s win, which tightened the group standings, and made it clear that the Super Eagles cannot afford to drop any more points in their remaining matches.

“You know, I said a few days ago that there was a team or country in the group who could help us a lot, and it is Nigeria. You saw they beat Rwanda today,” Broos said at the post-match press conference.

“They cannot afford to lose points; against every team, they will do everything to win. At the moment, we have four points ahead of Nigeria.”

Despite holding a favorable position in the qualifiers, Broos stressed the need for South Africa to remain focused and continue performing well in their own matches to maintain their lead.

“It’s up to us to do what we have to do, and when we do that, Nigeria will help us — you’ll see,” he added.

Looking ahead to their next World Cup qualifier against Gernot Rohr’s Republic of Benin, Broos urged his team to stay disciplined and avoid costly mistakes, especially in their upcoming clash with Ivory Coast.

“The situation is good for the moment. It’s up to us to keep it that way and, certainly next Tuesday in Ivory Coast, not to do anything stupid,” Broos concluded.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career 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.

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