THE Super Eagles will come up against old rivals South Africa and former head coach Gernot Rohr’s Republic of Benin in the quest to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The draw for the African qualification race was held in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire today, with 54 teams drawn into nine groups of six each.
Nigeria were one of the nine seeded teams in the top pot considered to be the strongest on the continent, with the others placed in lower pots.
The Super Eagles will also battle Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Lesotho along with South Africa and Benin Republic in Group C.
South Africa and Nigeria have been drawn in the same qualifying group multiple times in recent years, while Rohr left the Super Eagles position acrimoniously in 2021 after leading the team to qualify for the Russia 2018 World Cup.
The German took up the job in neighbouring Benin Republic this year and has been overseeing their attempt to qualify for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire.
If the Super Eagles win their group, they will join the eight other group winners to automatically qualify for the World Cup in the United States of America, Canada and Mexico in 2026.
There will be another opportunity to secure a ticket if they fail to win their group, as the four best runners-up will feature in a CAF play-off tournament.
The winners of the CAF play-offs will proceed to the FIFA play-off tournament for another shot at qualifying.
The qualifiers are scheduled to start in November this year, with the first two group fixtures slated for between 13th and 21st, while the third and fourth matchdays are billed for June 2024.
The last matchday will be in the week of October 6 to October 14 2024, while the continental play-offs will be staged between November 10 and November 18 2025 at a yet-to-be-determined venue.
The FIFA play-off tournament is scheduled for March 2026.
AFRICAN 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP QUALIFYING GROUPS
GROUP A
Egypt
Burkina Faso
Guinea-Bissau
Sierra Leone
Ethiopia
Djibouti
GROUP B
Senegal
DR Congo
Mauritania
Togo
Sudan
South Sudan
GROUP C
NIGERIA
South Africa
Benin
Zimbabwe
Rwanda
Lesotho
GROUP D
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Angola
Libya
Eswatini
Mauritius
GROUP E
Morocco
Zambia
Congo
Tanzania
Niger
Eritrea
GROUP F
Cote d’Ivoire
Gabon
Kenya
Gambia
Burundi
Seychelles
GROUP G
Algeria
Guinea
Uganda
Mozambique
Botswana
Somalia
GROUP H
Tunisia
Equatorial Guinea
Namibia
Malawi
Liberia
São Tomé and Príncipe
GROUP I
Mali
Ghana
Madagascar
Central African Republic
Comoros
Chad
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