Goals by Thalente Mbatha and Oswin Appollis sent Bafana Bafana to the 2026 FIFA World Cup after Nigeria thumped Benin in the other Group C fixture on Tuesday.
It was a night of celebrations at Mbombela Stadium after Mbatha opened the scoring inside five minutes with a thunderous shot past Fiacre Ntwari.
Meanwhile, Victor Osimhen had also given Nigeria an early lead in Uyo to send Bafana to the top of Group C.
Appollis, who had already set up the opener, then sent South African football into sheer ecstasy after making it 2-0 for Bafana with a well-placed shot in the 25 minutes.
Nigeria also went with a two-goal lead into the half-time after Osimhen had completed his brace after 37 minutes, leaving Hugo Broos and his men with the task of bringing the result home to secure their spot in the USA, Mexico and Canada next year.
With Nigeria still chasing a spot in the best second-placed ranking, the Super Eagles continued to put Benin to the sword as Osimhen completed his hat-trick int he 51st minute.
Meanwhile, in Mbombela Bafana cruised home to victory to finish Group C on 18 points – one ahead of Nigeria and Benin to secure their ticket at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
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