South Africa close on 2026 World Cup, but Nigeria left sweating

South Africa moved a step closer to the FIFA 2026 World Cup with a 1-1 home draw with Nigeria, who are left facing a nervy final two qualifying matches in the Confederation of African Football (CAF) group stages.

Bafana Bafana took the lead in the Group C encounter at Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein, South Africa on Tuesday when Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong put through his own net in the 25th minute.

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Calvin Bassey levelled for Nigeria when he headed home in the final minute of the first half.

The result moved South Africa six points clear at the top of the group with two games to play.

Nigeria climbed to second spot ahead of Benin, who played Lesotho in the day’s later game, on goal difference.

The Super Eagles face Lesotho away on October 6 before hosting Benin at home on October 13.

If Nigeria fail to finish in the top two in their group, they will not qualify for the World Cup.

A first-place finish, which looks inevitable for South Africa with games against Zimbabwe and Rwanda to come, assures automatic qualification.

Second place offers the chance to be among the four best runners-up in the nine groups of CAF qualifying groups that will progress to FIFA’s intercontinental playoffs for the 2026 finals.

Egypt coach celebrates despite World Cup wait

Egypt’s bid to secure World Cup qualification was put on hold after a 0-0 draw against Burkina Faso in a flat Group A encounter in Ouagadougou on Tuesday.

Hossam Hassan’s unbeaten side moved to 20 points and lead Group A by five points ahead of Burkina Faso, with two matches remaining in the qualifiers.

With only the group winners qualifying automatically, the seven-time African champions need two points from their last two games to guarantee their spot and a fourth appearance at the World Cup. They will face Djibouti and Guinea-Bissau in October.

Egypt coach Hassan, however, celebrated the result, which moved his side one step closer to reaching the 48-team tournament to be held in North America next year.

“It’s a great day for the Egyptian people… I would like to thank every player for their efforts against a tough team that has players in the Premier League, Bundesliga and Ligue 1,” Hassan, the former Egypt striker who led them to the 1990 World Cup, told the On Sport channel.

“Despite playing in Burkina Faso, we played positively and created big chances. At the same time, we maintained balance. We could have scored one or two goals before the end,” he added.

Egypt suffered an early setback when Manchester City forward Omar Marmoush was forced off through injury in the ninth minute.

Their best moment came in the 67th minute when Mohamed Salah set up Osama Faisal, but the substitute’s strike was ruled offside.

Egypt’s Trezeguet had the first chance of the game, but his effort was saved by Burkina Faso goalkeeper Herve Koffi.

The home side rarely attacked, with Sunderland forward Bertrand Traore leading most of their best efforts.

Egypt went close to grabbing a winner in the final moments, but Mostafa Mohamed missed two chances.

Hassan, Egypt’s all-time top scorer, will be the first to lead his side to the World Cup both as a player and as a coach.

The 59-year-old coach said: “My goal was to coach the Egyptian national team. I have always dreamed of that. I want to fulfil the fans’ dream and live up to their trust.”

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