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Ronwen Williams, Bafana BafanaBackpage
Seth Willis

Captain Ronwen Williams convinced everything will work in Bafana Bafana's favour! 'I don’t see Benin getting results in Nigeria'

The Super Eagles are in a tight spot in their quest to play in the tournament to be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico in 2026. However, their win over the Cheetahs on Tuesday might be what Mzansi need to get their ticket; but of course, they need victory against the Eastern African nation in another Group C fixture scheduled for the same day.

  • An interesting turn of events in Group C's D-day

    Benin, South Africa, and Nigeria have a chance to top Group C and get an automatic ticket to play in the 2026 World Cup.

    However, the Cheetahs' fate lies in their hands since a direct win, regardless of the margin, will see them sustain the top spot. 

    Interestingly, they have never qualified for the prestigious global competition.  

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  • FBL-WC-2026-AFRICA-QUALIFIER-RSA-BENAFP

    What both Nigeria and Bafana Bafana need to qualify

    Benin are on top of the group with 17 points, two more than Bafana Bafana who are second.

    The Super Eagles of Nigeria have managed to collect 14 points in the nine matches played in the pool.

    Basically, South Africa need to beat Rwanda and hope Eric Chelle's men beat The Cheetahs; nevertheless, South Africa can still qualify with a 3-0 win over Amavubi and the current leaders draw with their opponents.  

    For Nigeria to qualify, they need to beat Benin and pray that Rwanda can defeat their hosts.

    Goalkeeper Ronwen Williams believes Benin can't beat Nigeria, which will benefit Mzansi. 

  • Ronwen Williams and Hugo Broos, Bafana BafanaBackpage

    Williams convinced South Africa will qualify for World Cup

    "People will have doubts now; if you look back a month ago, everything was clear for us to qualify," he told the media.

    "I still feel everything is working out in our favour. I believe in fairytales. If I remember well, 12 years ago, we had our calculators out in Mbombela, where we are going now, and maybe we’re going to correct the wrongs from that time.  

    "Now it’s for Nigeria to play Benin, and I don’t see Benin getting results in Nigeria. It’s just for us to get the job done as well," Williams continued.

    "We know how important that game [against] Rwanda is going to be, and we’ve got a score to settle with Rwanda.

    "There’s a lot of motivation behind this game; they are the only team that's beaten us in this campaign. 

    "We know what they put us through, so there's a lot that's in our favour and the nation shouldn't lose hope," the Mamelodi Sundowns goalkeeper concluded.. 

  • What comes next?

    Bafana Bafana have received a major Lyle Foster injury boost ahead of the game, but are still missing the suspended Mbekezeli Mbokazi, who was replaced by Thabo Moloisane. 

    They will have to take their chances to avoid dropping points against Rwanda, as it happened with Zimbabwe a couple of days ago.