Gayton McKenzie, South Africa’s Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, has openly expressed his desire for Nigeria to miss out on qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to Soccernet.ng.
His remarks came amid the intense and often contentious qualification process involving both Nigeria and South Africa, which featured numerous dramatic developments.
“Earlier, I heard someone say that South Africa would support Nigeria,” McKenzie stated during an interview shared on X by South African journalist Robert Marawa.
“Let me be clear: I want Nigeria to fail in qualifying. I know what they attempted behind the scenes. I want them to lose.”
“Nigeria should not be at the World Cup. Another African nation deserves that spot.”
When questioned if his stance was fueled by personal animosity towards Nigerians, McKenzie responded:
“It’s not personal. I respond in kind to the energy I receive. They don’t like us, so we don’t like them. It’s not about individuals.”
NAZOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
“I want Nigeria to lose!! They must NOT go to the #FIFAWorldCup“
“We have been embarrassed as a country…!!” (by SAFA).
Minister of Sports Arts and Culture @GaytonMcK LIVE ON #MSWOn947 calling for action to be taken regarding the “yellow card… pic.twitter.com/qbclG7eEbS– robertmarawa (@robertmarawa) October 16, 2025
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Aftermath of a Tumultuous World Cup Qualifying Battle Between Nigeria and South Africa
McKenzie’s provocative remarks follow one of the most chaotic African qualifiers in recent history, where Nigeria and South Africa clashed fiercely in Group C.
Both teams drew 1-1 in their respective home matches, but South Africa initially held the group lead before a major setback.
FIFA penalized South Africa by deducting three points and three goals after it was discovered they fielded an ineligible player, Teboho Mokoena, during a 2-0 win over Lesotho. This decision dramatically reshaped the group standings, with Nigeria and Benin pushing for the sanctions.
The penalty shifted momentum to Benin, who surged to the top ahead of the rwanda-in-make-or-break-match-today/” title=”WCQ: … Face … In Make…Or…Break Match Today”>final round. In a twist of fate, Benin faced Nigeria in Uyo, while South Africa hosted Rwanda.
Had Benin defeated Nigeria, they would have secured automatic qualification. However, Nigeria’s commanding 4-0 victory dashed Benin’s hopes and simultaneously paved the way for South Africa’s 3-0 win over Rwanda to clinch the group’s direct World Cup berth.
While many South Africans expressed appreciation to Nigeria for their role in South Africa’s qualification, McKenzie dismissed any notion of camaraderie, accusing Nigeria of ulterior motives.
Super Eagles Join Cameroon, DR Congo, and Gabon in Pivotal World Cup Play-offs
As South Africa celebrates, Nigeria’s quest continues in the African play-offs alongside Cameroon, DR Congo, and Gabon-each nation fiercely competing to keep their World Cup aspirations alive.
Gabon secured second place in Group F behind Ivory Coast, while DR Congo edged out Sudan to finish as runners-up to Senegal in Group B.
Cameroon, meanwhile, faced disappointment in Group D after a final-day draw allowed Cape Verde to make history by qualifying for their first-ever World Cup, becoming the second-smallest country to do so after Iceland.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed that Nigeria, currently ranked 41st globally, will face Gabon in a single-leg semi-final in Morocco on November 13. On the same day, Cameroon will take on DR Congo.
The victors of these encounters will clash in the final on November 16, also in Morocco, to determine which African nation advances to the inter-confederation play-offs in Mexico next March, where two coveted spots for the 2026 World Cup remain available.
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