Former Golden Eaglets coach Nduka Ugbade believes Nigeria has lost ground to South Africa in the race to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to Sportblog247.com.

Nigeria and South Africa were initially expected to compete closely for the automatic qualification spot when the draws were conducted last year. However, while South Africa has met expectations with seven points from their first four matches, Nigeria has struggled, currently sitting in fifth place with just three points.

Lesotho, with five points, is ahead of Nigeria in fourth place, complicating the Super Eagles’ path to qualification. Despite this, Nigeria still has upcoming matches against South Africa, Benin, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and Rwanda (twice), which could improve their chances if they win all these games.

However, Ugbade remains cautious about Nigeria’s prospects, acknowledging South Africa’s advantage heading into the remaining matches.

“The chances for our qualification for the 2026 World Cup are very slim,” Ugbade told Brila. “But in every difficulty, Nigeria always finds a way to do something.

“Our only chance is to win all our matches, both home and away, especially against South Africa. We have to beat them in South Africa. With a reasonable mind, I know all things are possible, but the truth is, I don’t think South Africa will drop points easily.”

Despite the challenging situation, Ugbade expressed his hope for Nigeria to give their best effort in the remaining qualifiers. Nigeria has missed out on qualifying for two of the last eight World Cup editions (2022 and 2006).

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