By Wale Mustapha
Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams says he remains optimistic about South Africa’s chances of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, despite recent setbacks in their campaign.
South Africa must beat Rwanda in their final Group C fixture and hope Nigeria defeats Benin Republic in Tuesday’s decisive clash to book automatic qualification for the tournament.
Benin currently lead the group following a narrow 1–0 win over Rwanda, while South Africa were held to a goalless draw by Zimbabwe on Friday—further denting their qualification hopes.
The situation was further complicated last month when FIFA deducted three points from South Africa for fielding an ineligible player, Teboho Mokoena, in their win against Lesotho in March.
Despite the setbacks, Williams believes South Africa’s fate could still take a positive turn.
“If you look back a month ago, everything was clear for us to qualify for the World Cup,” the Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper told Sports Wire. “But I still feel everything will work out in our favour, and people need to understand that. I believe in fairy tales.”
South Africa currently trail Benin in the standings and will need a win against Rwanda combined with a Nigerian victory over Benin to finish top of Group C and secure a place at the 2026 World Cup.
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.
