Nigeria, Sept. 10 -- Nigeria's 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification hopes suffered a crushing setback on Tuesday evening after being held to a 1-1 draw by South Africa's Bafana Bafana in Bloemfontein.

The result leaves Nigeria's chances of securing an automatic ticket virtually impossible, with just two games left to play.

With Bafana Bafana leading Group C on 17 points and Nigeria stuck on 11 from eight matches, the Super Eagles now face an uphill battle to avoid missing a second successive World Cup, having also failed to qualify for Qatar 2022.

The Eagles, already hampered by the absence of injured talisman Victor Osimhen, endured an early blow when Ola Aina limped off in the 7th minute. South Africa capitalised midway through the firs...