W’Cup qualifiers: Nigeria to face S’Africa in Bloemfontein

World football governing body FIFA has confirmed that South Africa’s 2026 World Cup qualifier against Nigeria will be played at the Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein on Tuesday, September 9, 2025.

According to FIFA’s Head of Qualifiers and International Matches, Gordon Savic, through the NFF, the match will kick off at 5 pm Nigerian time.

The 46,000-capacity Toyota Stadium, formerly known as Vodacom Park and later Free State Stadium, is one of South Africa’s most iconic sporting venues. Opened in 1995, it served as one of the match venues during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

This crucial matchday eight fixture in Group C is expected to be pivotal in determining which nation secures Africa’s sole automatic ticket to the 2026 World Cup finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

It comes just three days after Nigeria host Rwanda in Uyo on September 6.

South Africa currently top the group with 13 points from six matches, while Nigeria sit in fourth place on seven points after a disappointing run of one win, four draws and one defeat.

The group also features Benin, Rwanda, Zimbabwe and Lesotho. Only the top team will qualify automatically for the World Cup, while the runner-up could get a second chance via the CAF play-offs and possibly the inter-confederation play-offs.

Despite a rocky start, Nigeria remain mathematically in the race with four fixtures left to play.

After September’s double-header against Rwanda and South Africa, the Super Eagles will face Lesotho away and then round off the campaign with a home match against Benin in October.

The reverse fixture in June ended in a 1–1 draw in Uyo, with South Africa’s Themba Zwane opening the scoring before Fisayo Dele-Bashiru equalised early in the second half.

The Eagles will need maximum points in Bloemfontein to revive their qualification hopes and close the six-point gap on South Africa, who are bidding to return to the global stage for the first time since 2010.

Nigeria, three-time African champions, are aiming to reach their seventh World Cup finals, having missed the 2022 edition in Qatar.

Culled from Punch