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RMA
AFCON 2025
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South Africa's placement in an "easy" World Cup group has led to renewed frustrations over Nigeria's failure to beat the Bafana Bafana to qualification
Nigeria’s absence from the 2026 FIFA World Cup continues to sting, and the pain only deepened after the official draw in New York.
With South Africa landing what many consider a favourable Group A, the conversation among Nigerian fans has turned to missed opportunities and painful hypotheticals.
Nigeria’s narrow frustrates stakeholders
South Africa topped CAF Group C with 18 points, sealing their automatic ticket to the World Cup, while Nigeria fell just one point short on 17.
That slim gap has become the central talking point, especially as Group A, featuring South Korea, Mexico, and a UEFA playoff team, is seen as far from intimidating.
For many Super Eagles supporters, the home draw against Lesotho remains the moment everything unravelled.
Nigeria’s absence has led to widespread reflection on how different things might have been, and veteran journalist Solace Chukwu captured the frustration best, lamenting, “Group A looking extremely mild.
“To think that, if Nigeria’s Super Eagles had just beaten Lesotho at home, that South Africa spot would've been Nigeria's.”
Where the Super Eagles might have landed, and what could have been
Based on the FIFA Men’s World Ranking used for the draw, Nigeria sat 38th in the world, placing them firmly in Pot 3.
This positioning would have ensured they avoided other Pot 3 teams but could have placed them in any of the 12 groups from A to L.
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There was no fixed path, and the Super Eagles could have ended up in a balanced group or even a brutal Group of Death.
However, one scenario stands out: had Nigeria clinched that Lesotho win, they might have taken South Africa’s exact place in Group A, a reality that now only exists in theory.
After the World Cup disappointment, Nigeria must now turn their attentions to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), where they face Tunisia, Tanzania, and Uganda in the group phase.