South Africa Earned Their World Cup Place, Says Troost-Ekong

Former Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has acknowledged that South Africa fully deserved their qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after outperforming Nigeria during the qualifying campaign.

The defender offered a candid assessment of Nigeria’s failure to reach the tournament, admitting that Bafana Bafana were the more consistent side throughout the qualification process.

South Africa secured automatic qualification after finishing top of a qualifying group that also included Nigeria, returning to football’s biggest stage for the first time since hosting the tournament in 2010.

The Super Eagles, meanwhile, endured another disappointing campaign and ultimately missed out on qualification for a second consecutive World Cup after losing to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the African play-offs.

Reflecting on the outcome, Troost-Ekong said South Africa’s success was built on consistency, while Nigeria struggled from the outset.

“Bafana were consistent in the qualifiers, and we were playing catch-up from the first game,” he told SuperSport.

“We dropped a lot of points, so in the end they qualified and we didn’t. They deserve to be at the World Cup.”

The comments represent a rare admission from a senior Nigerian player regarding the country’s shortcomings during qualification.

South Africa have impressed many observers with their disciplined performances and now head into their final group-stage fixture against South Korea on Thursday with hopes of extending their World Cup adventure.

For Nigeria, however, the tournament serves as a painful reminder of a missed opportunity, with Troost-Ekong’s remarks highlighting the importance of consistency and strong starts in the demanding race for World Cup qualification.