South Africa are second in Group C of the 2026 FIFA WCQ
Nigeria have only two points from their previous two qualifying matches
The Nigeria Labor Congress had just called off a two-day strike which grounded public services Nationwide
The South African MNT, Bafana Bafana, faced significant troubles enroute to their World Cup qualifier match against Nigeria in Uyo.
The team arrived late in Nigeria on Wednesday, only to find themselves stranded in Port Harcourt due to the unavailability of connecting flights to Uyo.
Players, Team Officials and Fans of South Africa MNT. Photo | X
Players and Team officials spent a grueling 18 hours navigating Nigerian roads before finally reaching Port Harcourt Airport.
Bafana Bafana Players, Team Officials and Fans waiting at the Airport. Photo | X (BafanaBafana)
Despite clearing customs, they were unable to secure transportation to their intended hotel, leading to an overnight stay in Port Harcourt.
Compounding their woes, the Uyo airport had closed by the time arrangements were made for their departure, resulting in further delays.
Bafana Bafana eventually arrived in Uyo on Thursday, with plans to undertake training later in the evening.
The team’s journey comes ahead of their crucial match against Nigeria scheduled for Friday, at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium.
After the game, Hugo Broos’ men will return home to face Zimbabwe at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on Tuesday.
Unresolved issues concerning the venue of their match against Niger caused the forfeiture
Congo are still without a win in their WCQ Group
The Country’s Sports Minister was in charge of negotiations to move the match to neighboring DR Congo
Congo has announced its withdrawal from match day 3 of the World Cup qualifier due to stadium concerns.
The decision stemmed from the non-approval of their stadium in Brazzaville, where renovations are underway at the Alphonse Massamba Débat stadium.
The Congo Football Association, represented by Sports Minister Hugues Ngouélondélé, approached DR Congo to relocate the match against Niger to Kinshasa.
However, despite awaiting inspection by CAF, Niger insisted on playing in Kinshasa rather than Brazzaville, leading to Congo’s withdrawal from match day 3.
“The Congo national team will not play in Kinshasa. We accept the package because Congo is a country of its word and, when we have given our word, we respect it,” said Ngouélondélé.
“When we are faced with a situation that does not meet our values, we do not walk with that. This is why the decision to forfeit was taken.”
Consequently, Congo finds itself second to last in group E with 0 points from 1 match. and they’ll now face Morocco on match day 4.
The most expensive ticket for the Nigeria vs South Africa WCQ match is ₦3000
Nigeria hosts South Africa on Matchday 3 in the 2026 FIFA WCQ
Uyo hosted a fixture between the two teams back in 2017
The NFF has disclosed the date, prices, and venues for ticket sales ahead of Friday’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying clash between the Super Eagles and South Africa’s Bafana Bafana at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium.
This information was released on the Football Federation’s official website on Tuesday.
Tickets for the match will go on sale from Thursday morning, with prices set at N1,000 for popular stands and N3,000 for VIP areas.
The NFF aims to provide convenient access to tickets by establishing multiple sales points away from the stadium.
Sales are expected to conclude by Friday evening, ensuring fans have ample time to secure their tickets before the 8pm kickoff.
Rayners scored 15 goals in 28 matches for Stellenbosch last season
Both South Africa and Nigeria have scored two goals each in the qualifiers
Hugo Broos is facing an injury crisis ahead of Friday’s game
South African Forward Iqraam Rayners has stressed the importance of avoiding defeat against Nigeria in their upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers fixture.
With both teams having dropped points in previous matches, Nigeria currently sits third in the standings with just two points, trailing South Africa by a single point, and Rwanda leads the group with four points.
Reflecting on their previous performance, Rayners stressed the significance of securing points in the upcoming match, highlighting the team’s determination to avoid further setbacks.
“If we can’t win, we must at least get a point in Nigeria,” the forward told Sowetan Live. “Like the coach said, he wants four points from these two games but we will try to get six points.”
“This is football and anything can happen, we might steal the game in the last minutes in Nigeria.”
The clash between the Super Eagles and Bafana Bafana is set to take place at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo.
After the game, South Africa will host Zimbabwe at the Free State Stadium four days.
Stanley Nwabali, has stated that the Super Eagles are not succumbing to pressure despite the high stakes of their upcoming match against South Africa’s Bafana Bafana.
The Super Eagles camp has seen a flurry of activity with the arrival of five new players, gearing up for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin Republic.
Semi Ajayi, Calvin Bassey, Bright Osayi-Samuel, Frank Onyeka, and Paul Onuachu landed in the country earlier this week, but due to the national strike, were unable to immediately join their teammates in Uyo.
Now that the strike has been suspended, the players have arrived Uyo and could participate in today’s session.
In addition, Ademola Lookman is expected to join the group later today.
Albeit there’s been no suggestion that the team’s training schedule was affected by the Nationwide strike, the Super Eagles did not train on Tuesday morning.
The only training session scheduled for Tuesday is set for 4 pm and it will be behind closed doors.
The team is set to face South Africa on Friday and Benin Republic three days later.
In preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin Republic, the Super Eagles of Nigeria have commenced their training.
On Sunday, 13 players trained at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo.
Players including Wilfred Ndidi, Kelechi Iheanacho, Samuel Chukwueze, Fisayo Bashiru, Terem Moffi, and Victor Boniface actively participated in the session.
Additionally, Ismaila Sodiq, Kenneth Igboke, Ojo Olorunleke, Benjamin Tanimu, Ibrahim Olawoyin, and Raphael Onyedika were among those present.
However, the first-choice goalkeeper, Stanley Nwabali, arrived later in the afternoon and did not join the session.
Despite this, the team expects the arrival of 10 more players to bolster their ranks.
The Super Eagles will face South Africa on Friday, and will travel to Cote d’Ivoire to face Benin Republic three days later.
Chukwueze was an injury doubt for the World Cup qualifiers
The Winger has joined the Super Eagles camp in Uyo
Nigeria will play South Africa and Benin Republic
Samuel Chukwueze is fit for Nigeria’s squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin Republic.
The player’s fitness had been a subject of concern in recent weeks following his absence from the final matches of Milan’s season.
However, those concerns were put to rest after Chukwueze arrived at the Super Eagles camp on Saturday night and was observed walking without any signs of discomfort.
Having seemingly recovered from his injury, Chukwueze is now deemed fit and ready to contribute to the Super Eagles’ campaign.
The Nigerian national team is scheduled to face South Africa at the Nest of Champions in Uyo before traveling to Cote d’Ivoire for their match against Benin Republic.
With Chukwueze’s return to full fitness, the team is bolstered as they aim for crucial victories in the quest to salvage their World Cup qualification campaign.