Nigeria has been drawn in a rather tricky group C for the CAF qualification series of the FIFA 2026 World Cup.

Having appeared in six previous World Cup tournaments, Nigeria missed the 2022 edition which was held in Qatar.

On Thursday, the draw for the 2026 tournament was done in Abidjan, and the three times African Champions were drawn against South Africa.

Bafana Bafana have been in such a resurgent rebuild and are seemingly getting back their mojo, with the influence of Mamelodi Sundowns coach, Rulani Mokwena, a staunch disciple of Pep Guardiola, heavily present even in the national team.

Also in the group Benin Republic, currently coached by former Super Eagles manager, Gernot Rohr.

It promises to be a feisty encounter with Rohr’s acrimonous dismissal by the NFF.

Other teams include Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Rwanda.

2026 FIFA WORLD CUP AFRICAN 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 Rep., Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Lesotho.

Group D
Cameroon, Cape Verde, Angola, Libya, Eswatini, Mauritius.

Group E
Morocco, Zambia, Congo, Tanzania, Niger, Eritrea.

Group F
Ivory Coast, Gabon, Kenya, The Gambia, Burundi, Seychelles.

Group G
Algeria, Guinea, Uganda, Mozambique, Botswana, Somalia.

Group H
Tunisia, Equatorial Guinea, Namibia, Malawi, Liberia, Sao Tome and Principe.

Group I
Mali, Ghana, Madagascar, CAR, Comoros, Chad.

The matches of the 2026 World Cup African qualifiers begin November 13.

Meanwhile, the tournament will be hosted, for the first time, by three Nations; USA, Canada and Mexico.