Izuchukwu OkosiNigeria Super Eagles on Thursday were pooled in Group C of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign with continental rivals, South Africa.
The draw was held in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire venue of the 2023 the CAF General Assembly.
The three-time African champions will also face neighbours, Benin Republic who are currently coached by former coach, Gernot Rohr.
Former Arsenal and Cote d’Ivorie defender Emmanuel Eboue was saddled with the task of picking the balls form the pot from the Pot 2 with Nigeria in Pot 1.
Zimbabwe, Rwanda and Lesotho are the other teams in the group albeit Zimbabwe are currently under FIFA ban which may be overturn before the qualifiers begins in November 2023.
The qualifiers will run until November 2025.
However the biggest fixtures on paper is the two between Nigeria and South Africa.
The first meeting between the two was in a World Cup qualifier in 1992 and the Super Eagles won 4-0 in Johannesburg.
They last met at the quarter-finals of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
Specifically In the World Cup qualifiers, the Super Eagles had played four times against South Africa, winning three and drawing one.
Overall, Nigeria have beaten South Africa seven times in 14 previous clashes with the only defeat suffered by Nigeria coming in 2017 in Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers for Egypt 2019.
The previous four World Cup qualifying matches between Nigeria and South Africa:
10 Oct. 1992 – Lagos: Nigeria 4-0 South Africa.
16 Jan. 1993 – J’bourg: South Africa 0-0 Nigeria
1 June 2008 – Abuja: Nigeria 2-0 South Africa
6 Sept. 2008 – Port Elizabeth: South Africa 0-1 Nigeria
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
In October 2004, Okosi joined Complete Communications Limited, publishers of Complete Sports newspaper and Complete Football magazine as a reporter and later script writer for the Complete Sports studio.
He worked there for 13 years until October 2017.
Okosi also worked various times as Correspondent, Content creator and Editor at Sports Market International Magazine, Opera News, All Nigeria Soccer Media and Iconic Media Watch.
He also undertook freelance writing gigs for some local and international organizations.
Okosi is a member of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), Association of Movie Producers (AMP), Association of Voiceover Artistes of Nigeria (AVOA), Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).
He has been part of cast in some Nollywood movies and radio dramas including Blood Money 2, Scores To Settle, Dead End 2, Another Campus Tale and Battle Line.
Aside mainstream media and the entertainment industry, he has interests in scouting/unearthing of talents in the sports and creative sectors, exports business and property development.
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