Bafana Bafana and Nigeria have received a significant boost with the news that Benin will be without two key players for their final World Cup qualifying match.
The Leopards will face the Super Eagles in Nigeria on Tuesday evening, needing a win to secure their first World Cup appearance. However, they will be missing midfielder Sessi D’Almeida and defender Yohan Roche, who are both serving one-match suspensions.
The suspensions were automatically triggered after the players received yellow cards in their match against Rwanda on Friday.
Bafana to play Rwanda, while Nigeria host Benin
Roche was booked in the fifth minute of added time in the second half, while D’Almeida received his yellow card in the 84th minute.
Bafana Bafana, who have already taken six points from Benin during the qualifiers, need to win their last match by at least two goals and hope that the Leopards do not defeat Nigeria.
The Super Eagles, on the other hand, need to win against Benin and hope that Bafana fail to secure a victory against Rwanda.
According to Score Nigeria, Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle might be sacked if Nigeria fails to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. Chelle, who was appointed 10 months ago, has managed the team in eight matches without losing.
Bafana Bafana, Benin, and Nigeria will compete for the top spot in the group, with one team guaranteed a place in the World Cup. The team that finishes second may enter the play-offs, depending on the total points they accumulate.