2026 World Cup: Nigeria’s Chances

The Super Eagles of Nigeria currently occupy eighth place in the ranking for the second-best loser spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, following their 1-1 draw against South Africa on Tuesday evening.

The match in Bloemfontein saw Nigeria fall behind to an own goal by captain William Troost-Ekong before Calvin Bassey’s header restored parity, ensuring both Eric Chelle’s side and Bafana Bafana shared the points.

The result leaves Nigeria second in Group C with 11 points, six points behind leaders South Africa.

Meanwhile, Gabon tops the second-best loser ranking with 18 points from seven matches, followed by Madagascar (16 points from eight matches), DR Congo (16 points from eight matches), Burkina Faso (15 points from eight matches), Cameroon (15 points from eight matches), Namibia (15 points from eight matches), and Uganda (15 points from eight matches).

Nigeria, with 11 points from eight matches, sit ahead of Tanzania, who have 10 points from the same number of games.

Only the top four teams in the second-best loser ranking will advance to a play-off for a single World Cup slot, leaving Nigeria with significant ground to cover if they are to remain in contention for the 2026 tournament.