South Africa coach Hugo Broos explains why he was afraid before Super Eagles' WCQ against Benin

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has revealed he was fearful ahead of Nigeria's final 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifying clash against Benin, admitting that uncertainty over the Super Eagles' form and a late points deduction left his side in a precarious position.

South Africa appeared on course for automatic qualification for next year's tournament in North America, but their campaign suffered a major setback after Fifa deducted three points from their tally.

The punishment came after midfielder Teboho Mokoena was fielded despite being ineligible to play against Lesotho in the early stages of the qualifiers.

The Belgian tactician claimed that external pressures influenced Fifa's decision to revisit an earlier case that saw Bafana Bafana penalised eleven days before they faced Zimbabwe. 

Reflecting on the dramatic twists that defined the final rounds of matches in Group C of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, Broos said at Thursday's press conference: "We were in a very good position, then suddenly they deducted the three points. I said it already, we made a mistake, but we never thought it should happen because it was six months after it happened.

"That shows the pressure that some countries put on Fifa to reopen the case because there was conflict.

"One week before the two crucial games, suddenly they deducted three points, so it was a little bit tricky, certainly after our draw against Zimbabwe."

Broos admitted that the Super Eagles' inconsistent start to the qualifying campaign made him anxious about the outcome of their encounter with Benin, especially since South Africa's fate was indirectly tied to the result.

"I said a year ago or maybe more that Nigeria should help us and they helped us a little bit by doing what they had to do. 

"But I was a little bit afraid because they were not really convincing during the qualifiers. They were convincing against Benin, but they started with three draws and a defeat. 

"That was not Nigeria. I was a little bit afraid that Benin should not win. That was my fear, not that we shouldn't win. Even with a victory against Rwanda, we were not sure to be qualified."

Broos claimed that the Super Eagles were unaware before kickoff that they needed to win by a four-goal margin to stand a chance of progressing as one of the four best second-placed teams.

"They did not know it before the game. We looked at all the scenarios and in certain cases we had to win with two goals difference.

"I said to the players before the game, 'Don’t look too much, try to score two goals'. After five minutes we scored the first goal, and I knew we could score the second. 

"At half-time the score in Nigeria was 2-0, and I said, 'Okay, things done now'."

South Africa wrapped up qualification for the 2026 Fifa World Cup in style, topping Group C with 18 points accumulated following a convincing 3-0 win over Lesotho, while Nigeria sealed their spot in next month's playoffs in Morocco with a dominant 4-0 victory against Benin.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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