Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has suggested new Nigeria coach Éric Chelle will have a tough task to qualify Nigeria to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
After four games played in Group C; Rwanda, South Africa and Benin are joint top with seven points each, followed by Lesotho on five, Nigeria on three and Zimbabwe on two.
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The Super Eagles have yet to win a game and with Bafana taking on Lesotho and Benin in the upcoming qualifiers, they will be aiming to steer clear of the West African giants who beat them in the semi-finals of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Added to the dynamic, Chelle, who masterminded a win for Mali over Bafana in their tournament opener, has been appointed to lead Nigeria out of the quagmire they find themselves in.
“Yeah, the Mali coach [is now with Nigeria], I don’t know what’s happening in Nigeria, for me it’s a surprise that they are already four points behind us, they have played only draws and lost also,” Broos said.
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“This is not Nigeria… the quality is much better than where they are now [in the group]. but they will come back, they will come back – but they are four points behind us. So, they have to win two more games than us to pass us.
“The rest, we started with it, Lesotho, Benin, Rwanda, Zimbabwe you have to play those games, its’ not like before where you say, ‘oh we will win’.
“No, they are still in the running, all the teams are still in the running. Next month could be key and maybe it will be clearer after that.
“For example, some countries could be ruled out so it’s important to win the two games.”
South Africa host Lesotho at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on 17 March, before travelling to West Africa to face Benin, potentially at the Stade Félix Houphouët Boigny, in Abidjan.
