Bafana Bafana go into Tuesday night’s must-win World Cup qualifier against Nigeria knowing their fate is in their own hands. After a commanding 3-0 win over Lesotho, South Africa lead Group C with 16 points from seven matches. Benin is second on 11 points, while tonight’s opponents, Nigeria, are six points adrift on 10 points, heightening the pressure on both teams as the qualifiers near their climax.

Head coach Hugo Broos was clear about the significance of the encounter. “We know what we have to do,” said Broos ahead of the showdown in Bloemfontein. “If we can achieve it, we will qualify for the World Cup. We just have to focus on our own game.” The veteran Belgian was insistent that the squad not rely on outside results from other matches, stressing that direct qualification remains firmly in Bafana’s grasp.

Captain Ronwen Williams echoed the coach’s determination. “The most important thing is to get the job done,” Williams stated. Reflecting on the lessons of past campaigns, he added, “We’ve been in situations before where we’ve depended on other results, but this time, it’s up to us.” The Nigerian side, coached by Éric Chelle, arrives after a narrow 1-0 win over Rwanda. Chelle was generous in his assessment of the South Africans: “South Africa is a very good team, with good players and a strong technical staff.” Looking ahead to the encounter, he described it as “a very big game.”

With everything to play for, Broos and his squad know the equation is simple. “We know what we have to do.” Should South Africa top the group, they will qualify automatically for next year’s World Cup, the first time they will have made the finals of football’s global showpiece since they hosted the tournament in 2010.