The race for a spot at the 2026 World Cup is already well underway, with New Zealand becoming the first nation to book its spot at the global spectacle. However, the qualifying races in Europe and South America are just heating up.
African qualification is also underway, with the first round taking place last November. This year, teams will look to book their spots in the Americas and a shot at potentially becoming the first African nation to win the World Cup.
Morocco allowed the continent to dream in the previous edition of the competition, becoming the first African nation to reach the final four. But, could Nigeria be in the running to reach the World Cup finals in 2026?
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How Does CAF Qualification Work?
Qualification for the World Cup in the CAF region is slightly different from other regions, meaning it is important to understand how the format works. Sweeping changes were made to the qualifying process after the decision to allow nine teams to compete at the World Cup as opposed to the previous five.
Due to this, teams have now been drawn into nine groups of six, with the winner of each progressing straight to the finals in North America next summer. Teams that finish second in the standings will progress through to the playoffs, as CAF nations will come up against countries from outside of the continent in the inter-confederation playoffs.
In this stage, African nations could be drawn against teams from regions such as AFC, OFC, CONCACAF or CONMEBOL.
How Is Nigeria Performing?
It will be a tense second half to the qualifying process for Nigeria, as they are in danger of missing out on a place in at least the playoff round. The nation currently sits fourth in Group C after picking up just a single win from their opening six matches. So far, Nigeria has suffered a single defeat, but they have played out four draws.
That start to the qualifying campaign means it is very unlikely that they will gain an automatic spot at the World Cup, as they are already six points adrift of South Africa at the top of the standings.
A key reason for their issues in qualifying has been down to their poor defensive record, as they have already allowed six goals, which is the third-worst record in Group C. Nigeria has also failed to make home advantage count in the qualification campaign, as they have played out three straight 1-1 draws on home soil against South Africa, Lesotho, and Zimbabwe.
Draws against the latter two sides would be alarming, as they are the two lowest-ranked nations in the qualifying group. However, Nigeria did show signs of getting their campaign back on track in the recent international break, recording a vital 2-0 win over Rwanda away from home.
Victor Osimhen will be a vitally important player if the nation is to reach the World Cup, and he showed his capabilities after netting both goals in that success. So, in case you want to look into the best soccer bets for today, betting on Nigeria to make the 2026 World Cup can be a risky bet.
Have Nigeria Missed Out on the World Cup Before?
It has been an uneasy recent period for the national side, as they face the prospect of missing out on successive editions of the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1990. Nigeria played no part in the 2022 competition in Qatar, despite winning four of their eight qualifying matches.
However, despite finishing top of their group, Nigerian dreams were shattered after losing on away goals in the third round against Ghana. Their absence at the 2022 competition was the second time in five tournaments that Nigeria had failed to qualify.
They also failed to secure a spot in the 2006 World Cup. On that occasion, Nigeria finished second in Group 4, losing out to Angola based on the head-to-head record.
Nigeria World Cup History
Despite missing out on two of the last five World Cups, the competition is typically stronger when Nigeria is involved. Their passionate fans help set the tone for the tournament, and the team has enjoyed some memorable moments in recent memory.
The most iconic game during the 1994 and 1998 World Cups, as Nigeria twice reached the round of 16 stage. They emulated that feat once again in 2014 after winning once in their four matches. However, wins on the biggest stage have been a rarity in recent history after recording just two victories across their last four appearances at the World Cup.
Will Nigeria Reach the World Cup?
Nigeria still has an excellent chance of reaching the World Cup finals in the Americas next summer. However, it is likely that they will need to rely on securing their place via the playoffs.
Nigeria sits a point behind Rwanda with four matches still to play, and they face a must-win home clash with Benin in October. Nigeria will also need to take something from their match in South Africa and hope for a positive result in Lesotho in October.
