Super Eagles vs Benin Republic

In a heart-stopping finale to CAF World Cup qualifying, Nigeria edged out Burkina Faso for one of the four best runners-up spots thanks to a 4-0 thrashing of Benin, capped by Frank Onyeka’s clutch stoppage-time goal. Burkina Faso, who led the race after a 3-1 win over Ethiopia, were left stunned despite finishing with more points (21 vs. Nigeria’s tally) and a superior initial goal difference (+15). Here’s the breakdown of this chaotic twist:

The Eritrea Withdrawal That Changed Everything

  • Eritrea pulled out of Group E before playing a single match, leaving CAF to adjust the qualification math. To ensure fairness across uneven group sizes, results against sixth-placed teams were discarded when ranking the best runners-up.
  • Burkina Faso dominated Group A but racked up inflated stats from two lopsided wins over bottom-feeders Djibouti (home and away), scoring 10 goals while conceding just 1 for a +9 goal difference in those games.
  • With those results wiped out, Burkina Faso’s effective points dropped to 15, and their goal difference shrank to +6. Nigeria’s superior adjusted metrics—boosted by Victor Osimhen’s hat-trick and Onyeka’s late strike—sealed their advancement on goal difference tiebreaker.

Nigeria’s Heroic Push and Play-Off Path

  • Hosting Benin at Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Nigeria surged to 3-0 with Osimhen’s brilliance but needed one more goal to leapfrog Burkina Faso. Onyeka delivered in stoppage time, clinching the spot as one of the best second-placed teams.
  • South Africa’s 3-0 rout of Rwanda locked in their direct qualification as Group C winners—their first World Cup since 2010—shifting focus to the runners-up battle for Eric Chelle’s Burkina Faso side.
  • Now, Nigeria joins Gabon, Cameroon, and DR Congo in a mini-tournament in Morocco this November. The winner advances to an inter-continental play-off in March 2026 for a shot at the expanded World Cup.

This ruling has sparked confusion and frustration among Burkina Faso fans, who argue the Eritrea adjustment unfairly penalized their dominance over weaker opponents. CAF’s decision prioritizes competitive balance, but it underscores the high-stakes drama of African qualifying.