Super Eagles vs Bafana Bafana: 7 Interesting Facts You Should Know About Rivalry

• Nigeria and South Africa will resume their rivalry next month in the highly anticipated clash between the two giants of African football
• The Super Eagles will host Bafana Bafana in Uyo on June 7, not so long after eliminating them at the semi-final stages of the AFCON
• Nigeria must beat Hugo Broos’ team to keep their World Cup hopes alive especially so after a rocky start to their qualifiers

Nigeria will hope to revive their World Cup hopes when they host South Africa next month when the qualifiers for football’s biggest competition resume in June.

The Super Eagles had a stuttering start in the qualifying series, drawing their first two games against Lesotho and Zimbabwe which has placed the three-time African champions in a precarious position in Group C with just two points.

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According to the Daily Post, South Africa head coach Hugo Broos said Bafana Bafana has what it takes to beat other teams in their group including Nigeria to the 2026 World Cup ticket.

On the other hand, the Super Eagles cannot afford to drop any more points and must secure a victory against the visiting team when they host Bafana in Uyo at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium on June 7.

Here, Sports Brief along with Complete Sports highlights seven interesting facts you should know about the rivalry between Nigeria and South Africa before their next crucial fixture.

7 interesting facts about this fixture

1. The first-ever Super Eagles vs Bafana Bafana clash was also a World Cup qualifier in 1992 with which the Eagles won 4-0 thanks to a brace from Rashidi Yekini and a goal each from Samson Siasia and Richard Owubokiri.

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2. Bafana have been unbeaten against Super Eagles in their last two trips to Nigeria with their last loss coming on 1st July 2008 in Abuja, a 2-0 defeat in the First round, Group 4 of the 2010 World Cup qualifiers.

3. Super Eagles dominate Bafana Bafana in head-to-head matchups as in 15 meetings between the two teams, Nigeria has recorded the most wins and bagged five draws.

4. Super Eagles have won all four fixtures against Bafana at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2000, 2004, 2019, and most recently in the 2023 edition.

5. Bafana’s first competitive win versus Super Eagles was in Nigeria when they sealed a 2-0 victory in Uyo in 2017 during qualifiers for the 2019 AFCON in Egypt.

6. Super Eagles have never lost to Bafana Bafana in World Cup qualifiers as Nigeria has recorded three wins and a draw in their four meetings.

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7. Super Eagles have recorded the biggest wins in clashes with Bafana, winning 4-0 in two out of their 15 encounters.

Super Eagles make squad change

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Super Eagles coach, Finidi George has made a late change to the Nigerian team for the FIFA World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and the Benin Republic.

Bayer Leverkusen forward, Nathan Tella, joins Napoli star striker, Victor Osimhen, who has withdrawn from the upcoming Super Eagles fixtures.