Lesotho and Zimbabwe, due to stadium and infrastructure challenges, have been forced to host their World Cup qualifying matches in South Africa. As a result, South Africa will end up playing six of their ten qualification matches in familiar surroundings, rather than the standard five—an advantage Nigeria argues skews the fairness of the competition.
South Africa’s ‘Home’ Advantage in the Remaining Matches
With this arrangement, South Africa’s upcoming matches against Lesotho (away, Matchday 7) and Nigeria (home, Matchday 8) in September, as well as Zimbabwe (away, Matchday 9) and Rwanda (home, Matchday 10) in October, will all take place on South African soil. This situation, according to the NFF, gives South Africa an unfair home advantage compared to their rivals in Group C.
Nigeria Demands FIFA Intervention
A senior Nigerian football official has voiced the country’s frustration, stating, “This situation contradicts the principles of fair play. It effectively means South Africa enjoys a disproportionate number of games on home turf, which could be a decisive factor in determining the group’s outcome. We are calling on FIFA to ensure that Lesotho and Zimbabwe's home games against South Africa are moved to neutral venues outside of South Africa.”
Current Group C Standings and Implications
South Africa currently leads Group C with 13 points from six matches, putting them in pole position for World Cup qualification. Rwanda and Benin follow with eight points each, while Nigeria, who have struggled in the qualifiers, sit fourth with seven points. Lesotho (six points) and Zimbabwe (four points) round out the group standings.
With only four matches remaining, Nigeria faces an uphill battle to qualify, and the NFF believes that FIFA must intervene to ensure a level playing field. The upcoming fixtures will be crucial in determining which nation secures the coveted qualification spot for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.