Former Super Eagles striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni has weighed in on Nigeria’s crunch 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier against South Africa, stressing that the clash in Bloemfontein will be anything but easy.

The three-time African champions travel to face Bafana Bafana on Tuesday in what could prove decisive to their qualification hopes. Nigeria head into the game boosted by their 1-0 victory over Rwanda in Uyo on Matchday 7, but Aiyegbeni believes the challenge ahead is formidable.

“In football, you never know what is going to happen,” Aiyegbeni told SoccerBeat. “I’ve played against South Africa when Steven Pienaar was there and you came to Abuja to play. You guys were very good in possession and passed the ball better than us, but in the end, I told Pienaar that although you passed better, we won the game.”

The ex-Everton and Portsmouth forward, capped 58 times for Nigeria, admitted that the Super Eagles must dig deep in Bloemfontein:

“It’s not going to be easy playing against you guys on Tuesday because we need a win. If we want to get to the World Cup, we need to get those three points.”

Nigeria currently sit third in Group C with 10 points, trailing Benin (11 points) and leaders South Africa (16 points). Rwanda follow with 8 points, while Lesotho (7 points) and Zimbabwe (4 points) complete the standings after seven rounds of matches.