The Super Eagles of Nigeria have been drawn in Group B for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers alongside South Africa, Benin, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, and Lesotho.
TRACKNEWS reports that the draw, which was held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, on Thursday, saw the Super Eagles pitted against some familiar foes, including South Africa, who they have faced 19 times in World Cup qualifying matches.
The two teams have met 12 times in Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches, with Nigeria winning eight of those encounters.
The Super Eagles will also face former coach Gernot Rohr, who is now in charge of Benin. Rohr led Nigeria to the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia but was sacked in 2020 after a poor run of results.
The other teams in Group B are Zimbabwe, Rwanda, and Lesotho. Zimbabwe is ranked 123rd in the FIFA world rankings, while Rwanda is ranked 139th, and Lesotho is ranked 170th.
The full draws are as follows:
A – Egypt, Burkina Faso, Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Djibouti
B – Senegal, Congo DR, Mauritania, Togo, Sudan, South Sudan,
C – Nigeria, South Africa, Benin, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Lesotho
D – Cameroon, Cabo Verde, Angola, Libya, Eswatini, Mauritius
E – Morocco, Zambia, Congo, Tanzania, Niger, Eritrea,
F – Cote d’Ivoire, Gabon, Kenya, Gambia, Burundi, Seychelles
G – Algeria, Guinea, Uganda, Mozambique, Botswana, Somalia
H – Tunisia, E/Guinea, Namibia, Malawi, Liberia, Sao Tome
I – Mali, Ghana, Madagascar, CAR, Comoros, Chad
The winner of each group will automatically qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The runners-up will enter a playoff round, with the two winners of those playoffs also qualifying for the tournament.
The Super Eagles will begin their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign in September 2023.
