Nigeria’s chances of reaching the 2026 FIFA World Cup have received a major lift after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) revised its qualification rules, a development that could work in favour of the Super Eagles ahead of their crucial clash against Lesotho today.
The Super Eagles, who face Lesotho at 5 p.m. local time today (Friday), currently sit third in their group with 11 points, behind Benin Republic and South Africa, who both have 14 points.
The latest adjustment by CAF follows Eritrea’s withdrawal from the qualifiers, which left Group E with only five teams instead of six. To ensure a level playing field across the continent, CAF and FIFA have agreed that results against bottom-placed teams in each group will be excluded when ranking the best runners-up for the World Cup playoff spots.
In a circular signed by CAF’s Director of Tournaments and Events, Samson Adamu, and dated March 14, 2025, the body explained that the decision was made in line with Article 11.5 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Preliminary Competition Regulations.
The rule change could alter the standings dramatically, with sides like Burkina Faso, DR Congo, Madagascar, and Gabon potentially losing six points each, while Cameroon could drop four. By contrast, Nigeria stand to gain ground, as their two points earned against bottom-placed Zimbabwe may no longer be counted against them when comparing runners-up across groups.
The development has injected fresh optimism into Nigeria’s qualification campaign, which had appeared in jeopardy after a string of missed opportunities earlier in the series.
CAF said the decision was aimed at preserving fairness, transparency, and competitive balance, ensuring no team benefits or suffers from uneven group sizes caused by withdrawals or disqualifications.
With the new rule in their favour, Finidi George’s men now have a renewed sense of purpose heading into today’s encounter in Maseru. A victory against Lesotho would narrow the gap with the group leaders and set up a thrilling final push for a World Cup ticket.
After missing out on the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the Super Eagles are determined to return to football’s biggest stage, and with CAF’s latest ruling, their path to North America 2026 may have just become clearer.
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