Benin, South Africa Battle For Group C Ascendancy

Benin and South Africa will battle for ascendancy in Group C of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers when they meet at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan on the evening of Tuesday 25 March 2025.

South Africa claimed top spot in the group on Friday evening when they defeated Lesotho 2-0 in Polokwane. Bafana Bafana had to ensure a frustrating first hour of the match, before goals from Relebohile Mofokeng and Jayden Adams took them to victory.

Benin had claimed top spot the day before thanks to a 2-2 draw away to Zimbabwe in neutral Durban, with Steve Mounie and Dodo Dokou scoring to put the Cheetahs in charge, before the Warriors struck back via Knowledge Musona and Marshall Munetsi.

Along with Nigerias 2-0 away win over former leaders Rwanda in Kigali on Friday Victor Osimhen scored a brace for the West African heavyweights, the results have seen Group C take a more definable shape.

South Africa are top with 10 points, with Benin 8, Rwanda 7, Nigeria 6 and even Lesotho 5 still just about in contention for qualification, while Zimbabwe 3 appear destined for the wooden spoon.