Nigeria’s qualification hopes for the 2026 FIFA World Cup hang in the balance, as five African teams are now in a fierce contest for the four available play-off spots reserved for second-placed finishers in the CAF qualifying series.
While nine group winners will automatically qualify for the expanded tournament, the four best runners-up across the groups will enter a play-off round to determine the continent’s additional representative — a route Nigeria may be forced to rely on if results do not go their way.
Among the top contenders for those play-off places are Gabon, Madagascar, Congo, Burkina Faso, and South Africa — all still mathematically in contention despite trailing their respective group leaders.
Gabon sit in Group F with 19 points behind Côte d’Ivoire, whose remaining fixtures against Seychelles and Kenya appear winnable. Madagascar, second in Group I with 16 points, must beat Comoros and hope for a favourable result against Mali to keep their play-off hopes alive.
Congo, on 16 points in Group B, will face Sudan and Togo in their final games but are likely to finish behind Senegal, who have an easier run against South Sudan and Mauritania.
In Group A, Burkina Faso trail Egypt by five points and must secure victories over Sierra Leone and Ethiopia to stay in contention, while South Africa’s situation in Group C has been complicated by a FIFA sanction deducting three points for fielding an ineligible player.
Now tied on 14 points with Benin Republic, South Africa must beat Zimbabwe and Rwanda while hoping the Nigeria–Benin Republic clash produces a favourable outcome.
With multiple teams jostling for survival and the Super Eagles yet to secure an automatic berth, the African qualification race could go down to the wire — leaving even continental giants like Nigeria in a tense scramble for the World Cup ticket.
