Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Shehu Dikko, has expressed optimism that the Super Eagles still have a chance to qualify for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico—provided FIFA deducts three points from South Africa.
After six matches, the Super Eagles are fourth in their qualifying Group C with seven points, six points behind the South Africans who lead the group with 13 points.
Despite Nigeria’s precarious situation in the group, Dikko is hopeful the Eagles can still qualify as South Africa are at risk of losing three points in the race for the automatic spot in the group after fielding an ineligible player during their 2-0 win over Lesotho in March.
Bafana’s Teboho Mokoena had accumulated two yellow cards in the series and ought to miss the game against Lesotho.
According to FIFA World Cup qualifying rules, a player is ineligible to play a subsequent match after accumulating two yellow cards.
As a result, it is understood that the Nigeria Football Federation has protested the breach.
“With the look of things, it’s still in our hands, based on the disciplinary issue that is going to be decided very soon,” Dikko said in an interview with UK-based Nigerian journalist Austin Okon-Akpan.
“If the disciplinary issue goes the way everybody thinks it should go, because we too as Nigeria, have suffered the same fate before. So, if that happens, it means the next four games are still in our hands. If we win our next four games, we can qualify.
“The rules are rules; it’s not about Africa, it’s FIFA. There are no two ways about it. Otherwise, we could have fielded any player and claimed it’s an error.”
Now under a new coach, Eric Chelle, who began his reign in March, the Super Eagles will begin their 2026 World Cup qualifiers campaign in September after a busy window in June.
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They won the Unity Cup in London earlier this month after beating Ghana and Jamaica while the team also played a 1-1 draw against Russia in another friendly game.
With four games left in the series, Chelle’s men will face Rwanda (home) and South Africa (away) in September, while their last two games are against Lesotho (away) and the Benin Republic (home) in October.
