Inside the CAF Document That Could Offer Nigeria a Lifeline to the World Cup

• The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially issued an official statement on the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches
• The Super Eagles of Nigeria are struggling to qualify for the Mundial after missing the 2022 edition in Qatar
• Nigeria must win the matches against Lesotho and Benin Republic to stand a chance on making it to the playoffs
• Ohis Husseni argued that Nigeria cannot afford to play another draw in South Africa, saying that the country can still qualify

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The Super Eagles appear to have received a lifeline to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with the official statement from the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

The three-time AFCON winners are preparing to take on the Crocodiles of Lesotho in matchday 9 at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in South Africa on Friday, October 10, before facing the Cheetahs of Benin Republic at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, four days later.

The chances of Nigeria topping the CAF qualification group C are very slim, given the current standing, as the Super Eagles can only qualify for the World Cup by winning their last two matches.

The first lifeline for Nigeria came through after FIFA sanctioned the Bafana Bafana of South Africa with the deduction of three points and three goals for fielding an ineligible player against Lesotho on March 21.

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CAF give Super Eagles boost

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has updated the qualification criteria for the 2026 FIFA World Cup African Qualifiers following Eritrea’s withdrawal from the campaign.

According to Nigeria Football, CAF outlined revised procedures to ensure fairness in selecting the best four runners-up across all groups after Eritrea’s exit left one group with fewer teams.

In a circular signed by Samson Adamu, CAF Director of Tournament and Events, Eritrea's withdrawal from Group E marks the first change in the Africa qualifiers for the expanded 48 teams attending the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The statement read:

"To determine the best four runners-up of all nine groups, all results of the bottom-ranked team of each group or the withdrawn team will not be taken into consideration when comparing the best runners-up.

"The criteria to determine the best runners-up after excluding the results against the bottom-ranked team or the withdrawn team are the same criteria mentioned in the regulations of the FIFA World Cup 2026 for the preliminary competition in article 11-5 (where applicable)."

Super Eagles must not give up - Husseni

Nigeria sports journalist Ohis Husseni said the Super Eagles players have to give their best when they file out against Lesotho on Friday.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Legit.ng, Husseni explained that Nigeria cannot afford to play another draw in South Africa. He said:

"The fate of over 270 million Nigerians is in the hands of the Super Eagles players. An official statement of CAF is out on how the withdrawal of Eritrea would affect the standing.

"The only thing left for the players is to secure all three maximum points, putting it in mind that we drew against the same Lesotho at the Godswill Akpabio stadium two years ago."

Pinnick discloses what Super Eagles must do to qualify

Legit.ng earlier reported that former President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick, has sent a message to the Super Eagles players ahead of their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier matches.

He urged the players to play for pride, which could, in turn, translate to results that will help the team qualify and uplift the nation.

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Proofreading by Omoleye Omoruyi, copy editor at Legit.ng.