Bafana Bafana‘s hopes of securing a spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup have been significantly bolstered as news emerges that Nigerian star striker Victor Osimhen will be absent from the crucial qualifying match.
The Nigeria Football Association (NFF) has confirmed that the 2023 African Footballer of the Year has been ruled out of the showdown with South Africa due to an ankle injury sustained during Nigeria’s recent 1-0 victory against Rwanda.
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Osimhen, a key player for Nigeria, was forced to leave the field after just 35 minutes on the weekend. While the game was a scoreless draw at the time of his substitution, Nigeria ultimately secured the win with a goal from Toluwalase Arokodare six minutes into the second half.
This result kept Nigeria in the race for qualification, placing them third in Group C with 10 points, five points behind leaders South Africa and one behind Benin in second place.
The absence of Osimhen is a massive advantage for Bafana Bafana’s defense, which recently kept a clean sheet against Lesotho.
A victory in tomorrow’s match would not only further solidify their position at the top of Group C but also put them in the driving seat for automatic qualification for the World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Indeed, in the African qualifiers, only the group winners automatically qualify for the World Cup, while the four best-placed runners-up advance to a play-off round.
Historically, Bafana Bafana has a strong record against Nigeria in home World Cup qualifiers, with their last defeat coming in September 2008 in Port Elizabeth. The Super Eagles will hold their official training session at Toyota Stadium on Monday evening in preparation for the match.
The highly anticipated clash between Bafana Bafana and the Super Eagles is set to take place in Bloemfontein at the Toyota Stadium. Kick off is set for 18h00 on Tuesday, 09 September 2025.