2026 WCQ: Fresh hope for Super Eagles as Eritrea withdraws, CAF to decide on playoffs

The Super Eagles may have been offered fresh hope in their bid to qualify for the 2026 World Cup after Eritrea withdrew from the 2026 World Cup qualifying series.

Their decision to pull out leaves only five teams in Group E: Morocco, Zambia, Congo, Tanzania and Niger.

Eritrea withdrew before the Confederation of African Football, CAF, began their qualifiers.

This leaves Group E with just five countries, while the other eight groups have six.

To maintain fairness when ranking the best second-placed teams, as previously done in 2012, CAF is expected to exclude results against bottom-placed teams in the six-team groups.

If that rule is enforced, Nigeria could benefit. Eric Chelle’s men dropped points against Zimbabwe and Lesotho.

Nigeria occupy third spot in Group C behind Benin Republic and South Africa, with 11 points after eight rounds of fixtures.

The Super Eagles were held to draws by Zimbabwe and Lesotho in their first meetings, while losing to Benin and South Africa.

Nigeria, however, must win their last two fixtures against Lesotho and Benin to stand a realistic chance of finishing top of the group or staying alive in the playoff race.

Only the four best second-placed countries will advance to the CAF playoff stage, with the overall winner qualifying for an intercontinental playoff.