If Nigeria and Bafana win on Tuesday, it is Bafana who will qualify for the World Cup finals.
Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams says his side are still full of belief that they can qualify for the 2026 Fifa World Cup finals.
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South Africa were dealt a huge blow on Friday as they drew with Zimbabwe at the Moses Mabhida Stadium, leaving them two points behind Benin in Group C, with just one game left to play in their qualification campaign.
Only the group winners are guaranteed a ticket to the USA, Canada and Mexico next year.
Bafana’s last stand
Bafana will play at home to Rwanda at Mbombela Stadium on Tuesday while Benin travel to Nigeria on the same day. If Benin win in Nigeria, then Bafana’s hopes of topping the group will be over, whatever they do against Rwanda.
Nigeria, however, must go all out for a victory, as the Super Eagles could then qualify for the World Cup, if Bafana fail to beat Rwanda.
If Nigeria and Bafana win on Tuesday, it is Bafana who will go through.
“The morale is a bit down, we have made things a bit difficult for ourselves,” said Williams after the goalless draw with the Warriors.
“We left it all on the field and you can’t fault the players’ effort or desire. Thanks to the fans for coming out and motivating us.
“People will have doubts now, because if you look back a month everything looked clear. But we still feel everything is working in our favour, we believe in fairytales.”
Bafana shot themselves in the foot in qualification in March, when they fielded Teboho Mokoena in a World Cup qualifier against Lesotho. Bafana won the game 2-0 but Mokoena was ineligible to play, having picked up two yellow cards already in the qualification campaign.
As per their rules, Fifa punished Bafana with a 3-0 defeat in that Lesotho game.
The administrative blunder has echoes of 2011, when Pitso Mosimane’s Bafana celebrated qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations finals after a goalless draw with Sierra Leone at the Mbombela Stadium.
There was just one problem. The result meant Bafana had failed to qualify.
Mbombela made good?
If Bafana qualify by beating Rwanda in Mbombela on Tuesday, Williams feels some of those memories may be erased.
“Everyone had their calculators out (in 2011),” said Williams.
“Maybe we can correct the wrongs of that night.”
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The Bafana captain is well aware that the matter is not all in Bafana’s hands, however.
“Now it is (also) down to Nigeria against Benin,” he said.
“I can’t see Benin getting a result in Nigeria. It is just for us to get the job done. We know how important the game will be. We have a score to settle with Rwanda, they are the only team that beat us (in qualifying).”
