Has Bafana Bafana’s coach suggested another factor that influenced Nigeria’s draw against Zimbabwe?

The Super Eagles of Nigeria secured a disappointing draw in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification tie against Zimbabwe

Head coach of South Africa's national team, Hugo Broos, expressed concern over the poor state of Rwanda's pitch where Nigeria faced Zimbabwe in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Super Eagles of Nigeria clashed with the Warriors of Zimbabwe at Huye Stadium, resulting in a 1-1 draw, with goals from Walter Musona and Kelechi Iheanacho.

Meanwhile, the Bafana Bafana boss experienced a surprising 2-0 defeat on the same problematic pitch, propelling Rwanda to the top of the World Cup qualifying standings.

Ahead of the matches, Broos criticized the synthetic pitch, deeming it old and comparable to a street football pitch rather than the newer generation synthetic surfaces he had observed in other games.

“When I saw the footage of Rwanda’s games against Zimbabwe and also in their Afcon qualifiers, I saw a bad pitch

“That was a new generation synthetic pitch. But here it’s a synthetic pitch that is maybe 20 or 25 years old, very bad condition. It’s like you play on the street.” He said.

This pitch condition might have affected Nigeria's performance against Zimbabwe, as some Super Eagles players, including Alex Iwobi, had previously voiced complaints about such pitches compared to the standard at MKO Abiola Stadium.

Iwobi emphasized the importance of quality pitches in Nigeria, citing their familiarity with well-maintained surfaces due to their European playing experiences.

“If we had good pitches in Nigeria, it’ll be difficult to beat us. I’m confident to say that. Not many teams could beat us. We should have permanent good pitches in Nigeria with levelled grass because many of us play in Europe and we are used to good pitches.” The Fulham star earlier said.

Despite the disappointment of the draw, the Portuguese coach made no complaints about the pitch, attributing the team's performance to the long trip to Rwanda.

Rwandan-based journalist Usher Komugisha revealed that Rwanda's upcoming clash against the Super Eagles in March 2025 will take place at the renovated Amahoro Stadium, expected to be completed before the match.