Broos was appointed in May 2021 after Bafana had failed to qualify for the 2021 Nations Cup. He could not help Bafana qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar but managed to keep his job as he just had a short time with the team after replacing Molefi Ntseki.
The 2026 World Cup sees nine guaranteed places for African teams, up from five in the 32-team format. A 10th team from the continent can qualify via the playoffs.
Bafana were in pot B in the draw, so were set to be drawn with one of the continent's heavyweights.
Bafana last played in the 2010 World Cup that South Africa hosted. They have only qualified for the 1998 and 2002 World Cups since their readmission to international football in 1992.
Caf 2026 World Cup qualifying Group C: Nigeria, South Africa, Benin, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Lesotho
Other Groups
Group A: Egypt, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Djibouti
Group B: Senegal, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mauritania, Togo, Sudan, South Sudan
Group D: Cameroon, Cape Verde, Angola, Libya, Eswatini, Mauritius
Group E: Morocco, Zambia, Congo, Tanzania, Niger, Eritrea
Group F: Ivory Coast, Gabon, Kenya, Gambia, Burundi, Seychelles
Group G: Algeria, Guinea, Uganda, Mozambique, Botswana, Somalia
Group H: Tunisia, Equatorial Guinea, Namibia, Malawi, Liberia, Sao Tome e Principe
Group I: Mali, Ghana, Madagascar, Central African Republic, Comoros, Chad
Bafana drawn with nemesis team Nigeria in 2026 World Cup qualifiers
Image: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images
Bafana Bafana have been drawn in the same group as their nemesis team, Nigeria, in group C for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
The other teams in the six-team group are Benin, Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Lesotho, in a campaign that will define Hugo Broos's tenure as Bafana head coach.
The draw was conducted in Abidjan, Ivory Coast after the Confederation of African Football's (Caf) general assembly there on Thursday. The World Cup qualifiers begin in November and finish in October next year.
The winners of nine six-team groups qualify from Africa for the next World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico, which has been expanded from 32 to 48 teams. The four best runners-up go into a playoff to decide one team to compete in a further intercontinental playoff tournament consisting of six sides from all the confederations except Uefa.
Bafana have only beaten Nigeria once in a competitive match, when Stuart Baxter's outfit shocked the Super Eagles 2-0 in Uyo in June 2017 in a 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
Broos was appointed in May 2021 after Bafana had failed to qualify for the 2021 Nations Cup. He could not help Bafana qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar but managed to keep his job as he just had a short time with the team after replacing Molefi Ntseki.
The 2026 World Cup sees nine guaranteed places for African teams, up from five in the 32-team format. A 10th team from the continent can qualify via the playoffs.
Bafana were in pot B in the draw, so were set to be drawn with one of the continent's heavyweights.
Bafana last played in the 2010 World Cup that South Africa hosted. They have only qualified for the 1998 and 2002 World Cups since their readmission to international football in 1992.
Caf 2026 World Cup qualifying Group C: Nigeria, South Africa, Benin, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Lesotho
Other Groups
Group A: Egypt, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Djibouti
Group B: Senegal, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mauritania, Togo, Sudan, South Sudan
Group D: Cameroon, Cape Verde, Angola, Libya, Eswatini, Mauritius
Group E: Morocco, Zambia, Congo, Tanzania, Niger, Eritrea
Group F: Ivory Coast, Gabon, Kenya, Gambia, Burundi, Seychelles
Group G: Algeria, Guinea, Uganda, Mozambique, Botswana, Somalia
Group H: Tunisia, Equatorial Guinea, Namibia, Malawi, Liberia, Sao Tome e Principe
Group I: Mali, Ghana, Madagascar, Central African Republic, Comoros, Chad
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