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2026 World Cup Qualifiers: Super Eagles avoid Ghana, to lock horns with South Africa, three others

The Super Eagles missed the last World Cup in Qatar, but they would be looking to right their wrongs this time 

The Super Eagles of Nigeria have been drawn against South Africa, Benin, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, and Rwanda in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Soccernet reports.

Nigeria would be looking to right the wrongs of the 2022 World Cup when they lost out to Ghana in the qualifiers. The Confederation of African Football held the draws for the tournament, which will hold in USA/Mexico/Canada in 2026.

The Super Eagles were in pot one of the draws, and there was the possibility of being drawn with Ghana again. However, the Black Stars were put in group I with Mali, Madagascar, Central African Republic, Comoros and Chad.

Meanwhile, Nigeria was drawn in Group C alongside South Africa, Benin, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, and Rwanda. Asides from Nigeria, South Africa are the strongest team in Group C, as they are currently ranked 64th.

Full Groupings

Group A: Egypt, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, and Djibouti.

Group B: Senegal, DR Congo, Mauritania, Togo, Sudan, and South Sudan.

Group C: Nigeria, South Africa, Benin, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, and Lesotho.

Group D: Cameroon, Cape Verde, Angola, Libya, Eswatini, and Mauritius.

Group E: Morocco, Zambia, Congo, Tanzania, Niger, and Eritrea.

Group F: Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Kenya, The Gambia, Burundi, and Seychelles.

Group G: Algeria, Guinea, Uganda, Mozambique, Botswana, and Somalia.

Group H: Tunisia, Equatorial Guinea, Namibia, Malawi, Liberia, and São Tomé & Príncipe.

Group I: Mali, Ghana, Madagascar, Central African Republic, Comoros, and Chad.

This post was last modified on July 13, 2023 6:15 pm

Kelvin Omachonu

Kelvin Omachonu is a writer with many years of experience covering sports events in Nigeria and abroad. He is fueled by his love for the job, and is dedicated to delivering captivating stories.

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  • AS A FOCUS MAN, SERIOUS & BUSINESS MINDED PRESIDENT, I WILL LIKE TO ADVICE OUR MR. PRESIDENT AHMED TINUBU TO DISSOLVE NFF AND BAN SUPER EAGLE IN PARTICIPATING IN WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS. I SAID SO DUE TO UNSERIOUSNESS OF OUR PLAYERS ON THE FIELD OF PLAY ON ONE SIDE AND MORE ALSO, DUE TO CORRUPTION & UNSERIOUSNESS OF NFF ON OTHER SIDE.
    DOING SO, THIS WILL HELP THE NATION MASSIVELY, IN ORDER TO AVOID MONEY WASTING WITHOUT ACHIEVING RESULTS FOR ECONOMIC BENEFITS TO THE NATION.
    ANOTHER REASON BEHIND THIS IS THAT, WE CAN IMAGINE OUR SUPER EAGLE’S TEAM IS CURRENTLY WITHOUT A COACH. IF WE HAVE, WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE TO PROVE THE VALIDITY OF THE CONTRACT OF SUCH COACH. AND WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS IS AROUND THE CORNER. THAT SHOWS UNSERIOUSNESS ON THE SIDE OF FOOTBALL MANAGEMENT OF THE NATION. IS IT WHEN QUALIFIERS REMAIN A MONTH WILL NOW VALIDATE THE CONTRACT OF THE COACH OR LOOKING FOR A NEW COACH. BY NOW A SUBSTANTIVE COACH SUPPOSE TO BE FOCUS & BEGIN TO STRATEGISE HIS PLAN TOWARDS AFCON & WOTLD CUP QUALIFIERS.
    ALTHOUGH, IT NEVER TOO LATE NOW, THERE IS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT.

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