2026 World Cup: CAF Bails Out Nigeria With New Rule

Nigeria’s aspiration of being at the 2026 World Cup may not be dead afterall, as she has been bailed out by a new rule of the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

The confederation has just revised the qualification rules after Eritrea decided to withdraw from the global football fiesta.

CAF and Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) are considering removing points earned against the bottom-placed team in each group when determining the best runners-up.

This stance became necessary after Eritrea decided to pull out of the completion, thereby creating imbalance in the group pairings.

Whenever a group has fewer than five teams due to withdrawal or disqualification, results against the lowest-ranked or withdrawn teams will not count when comparing second-placed sides, FIFA has said.

That explanation which came forth in a March 14, 2025 circular signed by CAF’s Director of Tournaments and Events, Samson Adamu, inevitably revives Nigeria’s World Cup qualification hopes.

Whereas the new alignment would boost Nigeria’s chances, it stands to chop off 6 points each from Burkina Faso, DR Congo, Madagascar, and Gabon.

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On the other hand, Nigeria and Cameroon stand a chance of moving higher in the standings, improving their chances of reaching the World Cup playoffs.

The confederation says the adjustment remains necessary, transparent and fair.

Millions of Nigerian football fans, have had their hearts in their mouths over lackluster performances of the Super Eagles onwards the 2026 World Cup