The Super Eagles of Nigeria had their wings clipped following a 1-1 draw against South Africa’s Bafana Bafana in their 2026 World Cup qualifiers at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on Tuesday, September 9.

With six points ahead of Nigeria in Group C, South Africa were in a comfortable position before the fixture and had much going for them, as opposed to the Super Eagles whose troubles were worsened by the unavailability of star striker Victor Osimhen, who was forced out injured in the 1-0 victory over Rwanda last Saturday.

The injury forced Nigeria’s coach Eric Chelee to modify his last lineup, with Cyriel Dessers replacing the injured Osimhen upfront, while captain William Troost-Ekong and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru returned to the starting XI.

For much of the opening minutes, South Africa dominated Nigeria, and things got worse for the West African giants when Ola Aina picked up a knock in the 10th minute. The Nottingham Forest defender was replaced by Bright Osayi-Samuel, but things did not get any better for Nigeria as Bafana Bafana kept up the pressure. Their efforts paid off around the 20th minute as Troost-Ekong directed the ball into his own net following the run of a South African attacker.

A few minutes before the end of the first half, Nigeria restored parity after Calvin Bassey rose highest in the box to direct Dele-Bashiru’s cross into the net, not without the aid of his arm, an incident that slipped through due to the absence of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR). 

Ahead of the second half, Tolu Arokodare, who scored the only goal in Uyo last week, was brought on for Dessers while Bruno Onyemaechi replaced the unsettled Ekong. The changes did inject energy into the Super Eagles’ momentum, and they could have been rewarded for their efforts when substitute Arokodare’s strike sailed inches across the post after he beat his marker.

For much of the game’s remainder, things did not look promising for the Super Eagles, as they eventually settled for sharing the spoils. The result leaves them with a mathematically impossible task to usurp South Africa at the top of the table. With six points still adrift of the one-time African champions, Nigeria, who provisionally occupy second place in the group, need to win their concluding qualifiers against Lesotho and Benin, while also hoping the remainder of the group’s results go their way to keep their slim hopes of a playoff spot in the qualification series alive.