Nigeria was paired with some very interesting teams in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

In the draw held last week, Nigeria will have to contend with South Africa, Benin, Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Lesotho for a place at the World Cup tournament set to take place in USA, Canada and Mexico.

The Super Eagles failed to qualify for the last tournament in Qatar, but will have a chance to make amends for their sins when they kick off the qualifiers in November.

9 African teams will qualify automatically while the four best runners-up (from the Groups) will play in a CAF Play-Off tournament.

The winner of the CAF Play-Off Tournament will play in the FIFA Play-off Tournament.

For the Super Eagles to gain automatic qualification they must ensure they finish top of the group, and we will be looking at their opposition and the result we expect from each clash.

South Africa (Tricky)

South Africa has looked somewhat like a team in decline compared to how solid they have been in the past.

Since hosting the Mundial in 2010 not much has been achieved by Bafana Bafana as they have failed to qualify for the last three editions.

Despite their struggles on the pitch, the team can be very organized on their day and the Super Eagles will have to be wary of the threat posed by the likes of Al-Ahly’s Percy Tau and Orlando Pirates Zakhele Lepasa.

On paper, this should be an easy ride for the Super Eagles, but one thing is certain, Bafana Bafana will create moments, and will cause a lot of trouble.

Benin Republic (Difficult)

Since 2004, Nigeria and Benin have met on 8 different occasions with the Super Eagles claiming 7 victories.

It is a winnable fixture for Nigeria given all the talents the Super Eagles possess, but we have an Achilles heel with a certain Gernot Rohr at the helm of affairs for the Cheetahs.

Rohr was formerly the head coach of the Super Eagles, and led the team to the 2018 FIFA World Cup tournament.

He is well familiar with the current squad, having assembled the team during his time with Nigeria.

Playing ugly and winning might be enjoyable for the fans, but it’s like a horror show for the opposition and the Super Eagles will have to be calm and patient against a team that is not interested in playing football, if they want to win.

Zimbabwe (Easy)

Zimbabwe have never qualified for the FIFA World Cup, but they have played in the AFCON five times, as easy as the fixture might sound they are a team that is known to be very physical.

With that said, this fixture should be a very easy ride for Nigeria and anything other than victory should be seen as a disappointing outing.

Rwanda (Easy)

The games against Rwanda should be easy three points for the Super Eagles unless they somehow become complacent and make things difficult for themselves.

They are a team that has only made it once to the Africa Cup of Nations and would be aiming to go defensive against Nigeria.

This is however the worry as the Super Eagles have shown a somewhat ineffectiveness against teams that pack the bus, but with the quality of players, I expect Nigeria to run riot against the Rwandans.

Lesotho (Easy)

This is as easy as easy can be, this game would provide Jose Peseiro the opportunity to field new players without having to lose sleep, but let’s not forget that one of the reasons why we love football so much is because anything can happen in the sport.

Should Nigeria fail to defeat Lesotho it will be a very disappointing result for them.