South Africa sealed its spot at the 2026 World Cup after a commanding win over Rwanda, topping its qualifying group despite a three-point deduction for fielding an ineligible player earlier. The victory marked a triumphant return to the World Cup for South Africa, the first since hosting the tournament in 2010. Nigeria, meanwhile, will enter the playoffs after finishing second, despite a sensational hat-trick from Victor Osimhen that saw the team beat Benin. Osimhen’s brilliance gave the Super Eagles a two-goal halftime lead at Uyo. He completed his treble six minutes into the second half, and Frank Onyeka added a stoppage-time goal to secure Nigeria’s runner-up finish. The CAF playoffs, featuring the best second-placed teams across the nine groups, will determine who advances to the interconfederation playoff for Africa’s potential 10th World Cup berth.
Aljazeera
