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.