South Africa and Nigeria meet Thursday at WAFCON 2026 in a decisive matchup that will keep one team's path to the FIFA Women's World Cup Brazil 2027 alive. The winner will earn a place in the World Cup playoffs.

The match will be played at Moulay Rachid Stadium at 9:00 p.m. local time in Morocco, which is 3:50 p.m. ET in the United States, and will be available LIVE on beIN SPORTS.

After falling out of title contention in the quarterfinals, two of the only three nations to have won the Women's Africa Cup of Nations since 1998 now find themselves in unfamiliar territory: they must go head-to-head to keep their chances of reaching the next World Cup alive.

South Africa and Nigeria battle for a World Cup playoff spot

Nigeria is the most decorated team in WAFCON history, winning a record 10 titles in 13 editions, and has appeared at every Women's World Cup since the inaugural tournament in 1991.

South Africa, the 2022 African champion, is chasing a third consecutive World Cup appearance after making its debut at France 2019 and qualifying again for Australia and New Zealand 2023.

Neither team was able to take advantage of its first opportunity on the road to Brazil 2027, leaving them with another chance: win this match and advance to the World Cup playoffs.

“This is a crucial game for us as a team. We came here to qualify for the World Cup. We would have loved to do so with the first opportunity. Now, we have another opportunity. Our focus is on the next match,” South Africa captain Refiloe Jane said.

Nigeria looks to bounce back against South Africa

Super Falcons captain Rasheedat Ajibade also emphasized the importance of the matchup and the need to move forward from what happened earlier in the tournament.

“The players want to be at the World Cup. We are going to put our best. We cannot be complacent,” she said.

Both teams have recent experience competing under pressure at the World Cup. In 2023, Nigeria opened with a scoreless draw against Canada before earning a 3-2 victory over host Australia.

South Africa, meanwhile, lost 2-1 to Sweden and drew 2-2 with Argentina before entering its final group-stage match needing a victory over Italy. Banyana Banyana delivered the three points it needed to advance.

Where to watch South Africa vs Nigeria LIVE at WAFCON 2026

The South Africa vs Nigeria WAFCON 2026 matchup will be available LIVE on beIN SPORTS, with a place in the playoffs for the 2027 Women's World Cup at stake.

South Africa vs Nigeria
📅 Thursday
⏰ 9:00 p.m. Morocco | 4:00 p.m. ET
📍 Moulay Rachid Stadium
🏆 WAFCON 2026
📺 LIVE on beIN SPORTS

Watch beIN SPORTS Xtra live for free on YouTube