Nigeria Rank Eighth in Race for World Cup Play-off Spot After Draw with South Africa
The Super Eagles of Nigeria have dropped to eighth place in the current ranking of second-best teams vying for a 2026 FIFA World Cup play-off spot, following their 1-1 draw with South Africa on Tuesday evening.
The crucial qualifier, played in Bloemfontein, saw an own goal by William Troost-Ekong and a header from Calvin Bassey leave both teams sharing the spoils. The result leaves Nigeria in second place in Group C with 11 points—six behind group leaders South Africa.
However, in the overall standings for the best-performing runners-up across all groups—critical for teams that do not top their groups—Nigeria now sit in eighth position with 11 points from 8 matches. This places them outside the top four, the cut-off for a play-off that will decide the final World Cup ticket from the continent.
Current top teams in the second-best ranking include:
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Gabon – 18 points (7 matches)
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Madagascar – 16 points (8 matches)
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DR Congo – 16 points (8 matches)
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Burkina Faso – 15 points (8 matches)
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Cameroon – 15 points (8 matches)
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Namibia – 15 points (8 matches)
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Uganda – 15 points (8 matches)
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Nigeria – 11 points (8 matches)
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Tanzania – 10 points (8 matches)
With just two qualifying matches remaining, Nigeria face an uphill battle to break into the top four of the second-best loser ranking and keep their World Cup hopes alive.
