South Africa vs. Nigeria final score: World Cup qualifying updates, highlights, result as Super Eagles face elimination after draw

Nigeria's hopes of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup are hanging by a thread after they were held to a 1-1 draw by South Africa in Bloemfontein.

Bafana Bafana maintained their six-point advantage over the Super Eagles at the top of Group C.

Only the top team in each group in the CAF section qualifies by right. The four best second-place teams progress to inter-continental playoffs, but Nigeria are eighth out of nine in that ranking at present and four points shy of the top-four cut-off. They will also lose second spot if Benin beat Lesotho later on Tuesday.

Erice Chelle's men are now waiting on events off the field, namely to see if South Africa are given a points deduction for fielding Teboho Mokoena against Lesotho in March when he should have been serving a suspension.

South Africa struck first in a rain-lashed Bloemfontein when Nigeria captain William Troost-Ekong put through his own goal.

Fulham defender Calvin Bassey scored a fortuitous equaliser on the stroke of halftime, with the officials failing to punish him for heading Fisayo Dele-Bashiru's cross against his arm and into the net.

JUMP TO: Latest live updates | What teams need to qualify | Team news, lineups | Where to watch

South Africa vs. Nigeria score

Venue: Toyota Stadium, Bloemfontein (South Africa)
Referee: Pierre Ghislain Atcho (Gabon)

Starting lineups:

South Africa (4-2-3-1, right to left): 1. Ronwen Williams (GK) — 18. Zuko Mdunyelwa, 14. Mbekezeli Mbokazi, 20. Siyabonga Ngezana, 26. Samukelo Kabini — 4. Teboho Mokoena, 15. Bathusi Aubaas — 23. Mohau Nkota, 17. Sipho Mbule, 7. Oswin Appollis — 9. Lyle Foster

Nigeria (4-2-3-1, right to left): 23. Stanley Nwabali (GK) — 2. Ola Aina, 5. William Troost-Ekong, 21. Calvin Bassey, 13. Benjamin Fredrick — 4. Wilfred Ndidi, 14. Fisayo Dele-Bashiru — 7. Ademola Lookman, 17. Alex Iwobi, 15. Moses Simon — 19. Cyriel Dessers

Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp

South Africa vs. Nigeria live updates, highlights, and commentary

Fulltime

No way through for Nigeria and that now looks like being the tale of this whole qualifying campaign. South Africa are six points ahead of them with two games to play. Barring an absurd collapse, Bafana Bafana are out of reach. Benin will replace them in second place if they beat Lesotho later today. Also, on 11 points, Nigeria are currently the eighth-best second place team in CAF qualification and only the best four can reach the continental playoffs. All eyes on whether or not FIFA punish South Africa for the Mokoena snafu, I guess.

90+1 mins: Nwabali gets out to punch with Foster poised to head home! He had to get that right.

90 mins: Nwabali out of his group but South Africa can't capitalise. It's so frantic out there. Seven minutes of stoppage time to come.

82 mins: A quickly taken Nigeria free-kick has Lookman in but there's a fabulous last-ditch challenge from Mbokazi.

80 mins: A mistake from Bassey and Foster nips in. He can't bring the ball fully under control, though, and shoots off target.

78 mins: Iwobi piles into Mbule as South Africa look to break. More techiness before the free-kick. Chukwueze replaces the ineffective Simon.

76 mins: Arokodare on the charge as Nigeria break. Shot blocked. 

75 mins: Mokoena is back on the field. The coaches have shaken hands. All friends!

72 mins: Ooh, it's all kicking off between the two benches. Chelle and Broos with a few choice words for one another and their coaches getting involved too. The trigger for that was Nigeria substitute announcing himself to the game by clattering through Mokoena.

68 mins: Mbokazi drives forward from centre-back and tries an audacious lob from 30 yards. Oof, that was not far away!

64 mins: Mdunyelwa can't continue. Monyane on in his place.

62 mins: Potential problems for South Africa here. Mdunyelwa is going to try to continue after appearing to get his studs caught while landing awkwardly on the playing surface. Goalkeeper Williams also just had some treatment on his forearm.

60 mins: South Africa enjoying their best spell for a while here. Foster busily bothering the Nigeria backline but Bassey steps out smartly to catch him offside as Bafana Bafana look to recycle the attack.

49 mins Ohhhh, it's close from Arokodare! The forward engineers space inside the Bafana Bafana box and shoots just wide from a tight angle. That was attacking play oozing with confidence.

Kickoff: 2nd Half

We're back underway and there's a double change for Nigeria. Weekend goalscorer Arokodare replaces Dessers, while Troost-Ekong's unhappy evening ends with Onyemaechi on in his place

Halftime

South Africa needed the break there, with Nigeria in the ascendancy after that pretty fortuitous equaliser from Bassey that's set to be a major talking point.

45+1 mins: Into three minutes of first-half stoppage time. Replays show Bassey might have actually scored that goal with his arm. That should go down well on a night of high tension.

44 mins: GOAL! CALVIN BASSEY EQUALISES FOR NIGERIA!!!!

It's been a decent spell for the Super Eagles over the past few minutes and they have their reward. Lookman directed the attack from the centre for the field and foul Dele-Bashiru. The Lazio star got to the byline and Fulham defender Bassey came thundering in over everyone at the far post to head home.

42 mins: Corner to Nigeria, half cleared and then deflected behind off Mokoena for another. Bafana Bafana clear their collective lines. They look to break downfield but Nwabali is out of his area to boot into touch.

40 mins: Oh, goodness. Almost an own goal at the other as Mbokazi tries to block a cross from the left with his chest. Williams gets behind it through.

38 mins: Nigeria haven't really managed to muster much of a response to going behind. The rain has stopped, though. Perhaps it's more a case of needing to get through to half-time and reassess in better conditions after the break.

31 mins: The heavy rain on this unforgiving surface is making it pretty tricky for both sets of players. Nigeria are enjoying some better spells of possession, but they have offered no threat at all so far to Ronwen Williams' goal.

25 mins: GOAL! SOUTH AFRICA LEAD THROUGH TROOST-EKONG'S OWN GOAL! It's a horrible moment for the Nigeria skipper. Bassey is again caught flat-footed as Nkota sprints onto Teboho Mokoena's throughball. He cuts the ball back low, and Troost-Ekong, facing his own goal, can only divert the ball past Nwabali. It's a terrific finish, in all honesty.

22 mins: Rain is starting to fall heavily here. There's a risk that lightning could cause disruption to this game. We're carrying on as things stand.

19 mins: Big change, Bafana Bafana! Nigeria make a mess of things in their own box, and Oswin Appollis wrestles Osayi-Samuel off the ball. His shot under pressure is straight at Stanley Nwabali, who stands firm and parries. That's a let-off for the Super Eagles.

10 mins: Benjamin Fredrick makes a good run through the middle of the park, but Moses Simon slices his attempted cross behind for a goal kick. The playing surface is cutting up quite badly here, and a few players have lost balance or miscued passes already.

8 mins: There's a problem here for Ola Aina. He sat down near the touchline and is now receiving treatment, having appeared to hurt his right leg during a challenge from Samukele Kabini. It looks like the Nottingham Forest can't continue. Bright Osayi-Samuel is on.

5 mins: South Africa have started on the front foot here. Mohau Nkota drifts into space behind Calvin Bassey, but his header is over the bar.

Kickoff: First half

Here we go!

30 mins before kickoff: Injuries at the back mean Mbekezeli Mbokazi is the only South Africa defender to start this game who was also in from kickoff against Lesotho at the weekend. But all eyes will be on Teboho Mokoena in the midfield. Mokoena selection against Lesotho in March, when he was supposed to be serving a suspensioin for yellow card accumulation, has thrown Bafana Bafana's campaign into flux. A win here tonight should seal qualification but the prospect of a points deduction from FIFA looms.

50 mins before kickoff: Here's how things look for the hosts.

Bafana Bafana starting 11 vs Nigeria#BafanaPride@SABC_Sport pic.twitter.com/6uuS5ZiZ07

— Bafana Bafana (@BafanaBafana) September 9, 2025

1 hour before kickoff: The teams are in. Let's start with the visitors. As expected, Victor Osimhen has not made it after suffering a bruised shin agaisnt Rwanda at the weekend. Panathinaikos forward Cyriel Dessers gets the nod to start in his place, with Saturday's matchwinner Tolu Arokodare among the substitutes once more.

Our lineup to face South Africa 🇿🇦

🔄 3 changes from coach Chelle
©️ Troost-Ekong leads as captain
🪄 Iwobi runs the midfield
🎯 Dessers spearheads the attack

Time to get the job done, Eagles! 👊🏾#SoarSuperEagles #Naija4theWin pic.twitter.com/j7zNxIKF6E

— 🇳🇬 Super Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) September 9, 2025

2 hours before kickoff: Welcome to today's game from Bloemfontein, where two of Africa's most storied international teams go head-to-head in World Cup qualifying. The result here could have huge implications for their respective chances of securing a place at the finals in 2026.

World Cup qualifying permutations: What do South Africa, Nigeria need?

South Africa can mathematically qualify for the World Cup if:

• They beat Nigeria and Benin fail to beat Lesotho

However, because of the threat of possible docked points for fielding an ineligible player in a previous qualifier, we cannot state for certain that a win would ensure they qualify.

Nigeria cannot qualify today, but:

• A win would mean they can still finish top of the group
• A draw would mean they can still mathematically finish top, but only if South Africa lost their last two qualifiers or were deducted points, and Nigeria won their final two qualifying games
• A defeat would mean Nigeria cannot finish top of the group unless South Africa are deducted points. Even then, they would need to win their final two qualifiers and hope Bafana Bafana lose theirs. 

South Africa vs. Nigeria kick off time

The match kicks off in Bloemfontein, South Africa at 6 p.m. local time.

Here's how that time translates across some of the major territories:

South Africa vs. Nigeria lineups, team news

South Africa know that a win here could be particularly important should FIFA decide to dock them points for fielding an ineligible player in an earlier qualifier, so a full-strength lineup is expected.

Nyiko Mobbie suffered a fractured eye socket after a nasty clash of heads early on against Lesotho and has been recovering from surgery. Thabiso Monyane was called up to the squad in his stead.

Thabo Moloisane went off in the second half with an injury concern and is only on the bench, with Samukele Kabini starting at left-back. Indeed, Mbekezeli Mbokazi is the only member of the back four that began the 3-0 win over Lesotho to start here. Burnley striker Lyle Foster continues to lead the line.

South Africa predicted lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): Williams (GK) — Mdunyelwa, Mbokazi, Ngezana, Kabini — Mokoena, Aubaas — Nkota, Mbule, Appollis — Foster

South Africa subs: Matchday squads released approx. one hour before kickoff

Chelle said straight after the Rwanda game that Victor Osimhen was "in pain" and that they would need to wait for the medical staff's assessment. After the Nigerian Football Federation said the striker was absent from a special welcome event in Bloemfontein on Sunday, the official teamsheet confirmed he has not made the cut..

Despite Wolves forward Tolu Arokodare coming on to score the winner against Rwanda, Cyriel Dessers gets the nod to start at centre-forward.

William Troost-Ekong and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru return, while youngster Benjamin Fredrick is preferred to Bruno Onyemaechi at left-back.

Nigeria predicted lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): Nwabali (GK) — Aina, Troost-Ekong, Bassey, Onyemaechi — Ndidi, Dele-Bashiru — Lookman, Iwobi, Simon — Arokodare

Nigeria subs: Matchday squads released approx. one hour before kickoff

South Africa vs. Nigeria live stream, TV channel

Here is how to watch the match in some of the world's major regions: