Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos refuses to rule out Nigeria comeback in 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers - 'They are still in the running'

Nigeria are yet to win a single match in Group C of the 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers.

They are fifth in the six-team pool after recording three draws and a defeat so far in their campaign.

But Bafana Bafana coach, Hugo Broos, is not reading much into that difficult run of form and believes the Super Eagles will rise.

“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 as per iDiski Times.

“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,’" added the Belgian.

“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.”

Nigeria are now under a new coach, Eric Chelle, the Ivory Coast-born former Mali trainer.

Chelle is now expected to breathe life into the Super Eagles' World Cup qualification campaign.

That is a huge task on his shoulders as he seeks to impress his new bosses and endear himself to the highly demanding Nigeria fans.

Nigeria seek to pick themselves up in these qualifiers by visiting group leaders Rwanda on March 17 before hosting Zimbabwe seven days later.

Their much-anticipated visit to South Africa will be in September.