South Africa Extends 2026 World Cup Qualifiers Lead, Benin Moves Second, Nigeria Trails

South Africa solidified their lead in Group C of the 2026 FIFA World Cup African qualifiers with a commanding 3-0 win over Lesotho, moving to 16 points and maintaining a four-point gap over their closest rivals. Benin also strengthened their position by narrowly defeating Zimbabwe 1-0, climbing to second place with 11 points and applying further pressure on Nigeria. Meanwhile, Nigeria's Super Eagles face increasing challenges, sitting third with only seven points and needing crucial wins in upcoming matches against Rwanda and South Africa to keep their qualification hopes alive. South Africa's solid defense and clinical finishing under coach Hugo Broos have been key to their success, while Benin’s late goals have demonstrated their resilience in the group. The upcoming matches, especially Nigeria’s crucial away game against South Africa, could be decisive in determining which teams advance. Lesotho and Zimbabwe are effectively out of contention following these results, highlighting the intensifying competition among the top three teams for World Cup qualification.