Former Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has admitted that South Africa deserved their place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a successful qualifying campaign.
South Africa’s national team, Bafana Bafana, secured qualification after finishing top of their group, which included Nigeria’s Super Eagles.
The achievement marked their return to football’s biggest tournament after missing the previous editions.
Nigeria miss another World Cup
Nigeria, meanwhile, failed to qualify for a second consecutive World Cup after losing to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the African playoff final.
Troost-Ekong said South Africa’s consistency throughout the qualification process played a major role in their success.
“Bafana were consistent in the qualifiers, and we were playing catch-up from the first game. We dropped a lot of points, so at the end they qualified and we didn’t,” he said.
The defender added that South Africa earned their position at the tournament.
South Africa prepare for final group match
Bafana Bafana are now focused on their World Cup campaign as they continue preparations for their final group-stage fixture against South Korea.
The team will be hoping to build on their qualification achievement and make a strong impression on the global stage.