Broos says Bafana Bafana are at Nigeria’s mercy as World Cup hopes hangs by a thread
South Africa’s hopes of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup suffered a major setback on Friday night following a goalless draw against Zimbabwe at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.
The result leaves Bafana Bafana’s fate out of their own hands, with coach Hugo Broos admitting that their qualification now hinges on the outcome of Nigeria’s clash with Benin Republic.
Heading into the final round of qualifiers on Tuesday, Bafana sit on 15 points, two behind group leaders Benin and just one ahead of Nigeria.
For South Africa to secure a place at the World Cup, they must defeat Rwanda in Mbombela and hope Nigeria beat Benin in Uyo. The permutations are delicate, and Broos is under no illusion about the uphill task.
‘It’s still possible but it becomes more difficult than today. We have to go to that match believing that maybe with a little miracle on Tuesday we can still qualify,’ Broos said after the match.
The Belgian tactician expressed frustration over the circumstances that have complicated Bafana’s campaign, particularly the administrative error that led to FIFA docking three points earlier this month.
South Africa had fielded an ineligible player, Teboho Mokoena, in their 2-0 win over Lesotho in March, resulting in a 3-0 awarded victory to Lesotho and a significant blow to Bafana’s standing in Group C.
Had those points remained intact, South Africa would have been top of the group with 18 points, even after the draw against Zimbabwe. Instead, they now find themselves relying on Nigeria to do them a favour.
‘It’s not (qualification) 100% lost, it can still happen. It will be very important what happens in the game between Nigeria and Benin. We’ll see what the result will be there,’ Broos said.
Broos acknowledged that while the team must focus on winning their own match, the outcome in Uyo could be decisive.
‘But on the other side we don’t really have to look. If we win our game we’ll see what happens. That’s the most important thing,’ he said.
