Nigeria, Oct. 10 -- Nigeria's road to the 2026 FIFA World Cup has narrowed to fine margins, fierce urgency, and a healthy dose of mathematics as is almost a norm now.

With the campaign hanging by a thread, the Nigeria national football team arrive in Polokwane, South Africa, to face the Lesotho national football team in a fixture that is less about hope and more about survival.

The mission is brutally clear: win, and win big.

Group leaders Benin and South Africa hold the upper hand on both points and goal difference. That means Nigeria's destiny may not only rest on results but on how emphatically they can seize the moment. After a frustrating run of draws and missed chances, this is the kind of night where ambition must meet execution...