Bafana Bafana have been cautioned against only focusing on Nigeria in seeking to go through to the World Cup via the qualification route for the first time since the 2002 tournament.
Hugo Broos' charges have been drawn into Group C with Nigeria, Benin, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, and Lesotho with the group winner going through to the 48 nation 2026 World Cup in USA, Canada, and Mexico.
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If the runner-up in this group is one of four best second placed teams, then they go through to a marathon qualifier that starts with a continental play-off to determine the team to advance to the inter-confederation play-offs (which will not feature UEFA).
As the best ranked nation in the group, the Super Eagles are the biggest threat while Benin and Zimbabwe are no walkovers.
"This will definitely be a tricky group for both Nigeria and South Africa because of the presence of Zimbabwe and Benin who are both capable of beating anyone in the group," says retired Nigerian footballer Prince Olomu who played in the PSL and remains resident in South Africa.
"What is important for both Nigeria and South Africa is to avoid thinking that they are the only teams capable of going through from the group.
"That will be a huge mistake for both countries to focus only on themselves because they will only play each other twice and that is only six points from a total of 30 available to play for.
"What will be the point in the Super Eagles winning against Bafana and then dropping points against Zimbabwe and Benin?
"It is best for the Super Eagles to make sure that they win all other games before thinking about Bafana which I feel should be the same for Bafana.
"The ones who will win the group will be those that do the business in a smart way by piling points from all other games.
"This group is not a walk in the park because Zimbabwe and Benin have players in Europe and will not be afraid to compete.
"If Nigeria and South Africa only concentrate on each other then either Zimbabwe or Benin can sneak in and top the group.
"Any technical team of either Nigeria or South Africa that manages the mentality of players for all games in the group will have the edge in winning the group," says Olomu.
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