Who: Nigeria vs Benin
What: CAF qualifiers for FIFA 2026 World Cup
Where: Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, Nigeria
When: Tuesday at 6pm (16:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 13:00 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.
Nigeria host Benin in the final matchday of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Confederation of African Football (CAF) first round, looking to steal direct qualification for next year’s tournament from the Group C leaders.
The Super Eagles’ task is momentous: Benin lead them by three points and by two on goal difference, making the fixture a must-win for the Nigerians if they want to have any chance of qualification, either as the group winners or as the runners-up who could potentially compete in November’s interconfederation playoff for a possible 10th African World Cup spot.
For Benin, the calculus is straightforward: win or draw against the three-time African champions and the Cheetahs make history and qualify for the World Cup finals for the first time. Even a loss against Nigeria – and if other Group C contenders South Africa draw or lose their final fixture – could still seal direct qualification for the team from the West African nation.
Here is all to know before the highly anticipated, final matchday showdown between Nigeria and Benin:
Where do Nigeria and Benin currently stand in Group C?
Late last month, Benin drew level with then-Group C leaders South Africa after they received a three-point deduction from FIFA for fielding an extra player in an earlier fixture and then took over the standings lead on Friday when Banfa Banfa played out a highly disappointing 0-0 draw against last-placed Zimbabwe on the ninth matchday.
Benin and Nigeria both won their matchday 9 fixtures on Friday, beating Rwanda (1-0) and Lesotho (2-1) respectively.
A Benin victory in Uyo would guarantee them a maiden World Cup appearance, while anything less could allow one of their two group rivals to leapfrog them.
Tuesday’s matchday 10 fixtures are the final group matches and will be played at the same time.
- Benin: 17 points (+5 GD)
- South Africa: 15 points (+3 GD)
- Nigeria: 14 points (+3 GD)
- Rwanda: 11 points (-1 GD)
- Lesotho: 9 points (-4 GD)
- Zimbabwe: 5 points (-6 GD)
Why was the Nigerian team’s plane forced to make an emergency landing?
The plane carrying the Nigeria team from South Africa to Uyo for their final World Cup qualifier was forced to make an emergency landing in Angola on Saturday, their media representatives said.
The aircraft took off from Polokwane in South Africa and made a scheduled refuelling stop in the Angolan capital, Luanda, before heading for southern Nigeria.
But 25 minutes into that journey, the pilot was forced to return to Luanda “after a heavy crack on the aircraft’s windshield distorted what had started as a smooth flight”, the Super Eagles’ representative said.
Why were South Africa stripped of World Cup qualifying points in Group C?
Last month, South Africa were stripped of three points in their World Cup qualifying campaign for fielding an ineligible player, denting their hopes of reaching next year’s finals and handing a World Cup lifeline to the other Group C contenders, Benin and Nigeria.
FIFA said its disciplinary committee had found South Africa guilty of playing midfielder Teboho Mokoena in a 2-0 home win over Lesotho in March when he should have sat out the qualifier after two cautions in previous group games.
Lesotho have been awarded the match 3-0 and South Africa stripped of the points.
At the time of the announcement on September 29, South Africa were still top of the standings with 14 points, but only on goal difference from Benin with two games left. In the penultimate group fixtures, South Africa played out a draw and Benin won, enabling Benin (17) to lead Bafana Bafana (15) by two points with one matchday remaining.
When was the last time the two sides met?
Benin defeated Nigeria 2-1 in a FIFA World Cup fixture on June 10, 2024, at the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
Raphael Onyedika put Nigeria ahead in the 27th minute, but two Benin goals before half-time from Jodel Dossou and Steve Mounie’s match-winner were enough to secure the three points for the Cheetahs.
How many African teams will qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026?
African World Cup qualifying is arranged into nine groups of six nations.
The nine Confederation of African Football (CAF) group winners secure direct entry to the World Cup 2026, while the four best runners-up will participate in an intercontinental playoff for the possibility of securing a 10th spot at the tournament.
Of the nine African groups, five teams have already qualified for next year’s World Cup finals in North America: Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco and Tunisia. The remaining four will be decided on Tuesday.
CAF World Cup 2026 qualification dates:
- First round (November 15, 2023, to October 14, 2025): Group stage features 54 teams.
- Second round (November 10-18, 2025): The four best group runners-up play in a semifinal-final format. Winners compete in an interconfederation playoff for a potential 10th African World Cup spot.
Will Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen play against Benin?
Nigeria recalled previously injured star forward Victor Osimhen for their last FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Lesotho on Friday, and he will be on the pitch against Benin on Tuesday.
Osimhen, who plays for Turkish giants Galatasaray, says Nigeria enter the must-win encounter as underdogs.
“Against Benin, we will be underdogs, and Benin are the favourite to win. Because we have been playing a bad game for our standards, it just doesn’t come together,” he said.
“We cannot promise our fans much. But we will fight. This group keeps on giving – it doesn’t stop. We hope it will be our turn to be on top on Tuesday if we play our part as players. I don’t want to talk much about other things, but I am not happy [with] how we represent our country.”
Team news: Nigeria
In a big blow for coach Eric Chele, Ademola Lookman, the 2024 African Ballon d’Or winner, will be unavailable against Benin due to suspension.
Lookman, who plays for Italian club side Atalanta Bergamo, was booked for the second time in two matches in their 2-0 win against Lesotho on Friday, triggering a one-match ban for the talented forward.
Key defender Ola Aina will miss his second straight match for the Super Eagles as he recovers from an injury sustained against South Africa on September 9.
Chele will likely play his side in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Osimhen as the lone striker.
Team news: Benin
Coach Gernot Rohr will have a full squad available for selection against Nigeria.
Rohr regularly deploys a 4-2-3-1 formation with Mounie leading the line. Andreas Hountondji and Dossou will play key attacking roles just behind Mounie.
The backline of Tamimou Ouorou, Olivier Verdon, Yohan Roche and Mohamed Tijani is unchanged from their last match on Friday – a narrow 1-0 win over Rwanda in Kigali – with Marcel Dandjinou again the starting goalkeeper.
How many FIFA World Cup finals have Nigeria reached?
Nigeria have been to six FIFA World Cup finals but missed out on the most recent tournament in Qatar in 2022.
Possible starting lineups
Nigeria: Nwabali (goalkeeper); Troost-Ekong, Fredrick, Bassey, Onyemaechi; Ndidi, Iwobi; Chukwueze, Simon; Osimhen, Arokodare
Benin: Dandjinou (goalkeeper); Ouorou, Verdon, Tijani, Roche; D’Almeida, Imourane; Dossou, Dokou, Hountondji; Mounie
Head-to-head
Nigeria and Benin have played 12 times across all competitions since 2004.
Nigeria have won nine times, while Benin have two victories.
The sides have played out one draw.
Last five matches
Nigeria
L-W-W-D-W (all competitions, last result on the right)
Benin
L-L-W-W-W
What the coaches had to say
Eric Chele, Nigeria head coach:
“The suspension [of Ademola Lookman] is unfortunate, but the team has the strength and character to win,” he said.
Gernot Rohr, Benin head coach:
“Yes, it will be a wonderful final in Uyo and it’s in our hands [to qualify for a historic first World Cup finals], which is unimaginable when you see Nigeria and South Africa behind us,” he said.
“But all can change in one game, the last game. So we are very humble and we know that we have to do it again, and it will be more difficult in Nigeria than in Rwanda. We know this, of course.”
