Nigeria vs. Benin final score, result as Super Eagles fall to shock upset in 2026 CAF World Cup qualifier – Sporting News
Nigeria are suddenly in serious peril after a managerial disasterclass led to a shocking World Cup qualifying upset at the hands of Benin in Abidjan on Monday, leaving the Super Eagles in great danger of missing the 2026 tournament.
Raphael Onyedika’s quality opener gave Nigeria a deserving lead on 28 minutes, but they collapsed in short order, succumbing to a pair of Benin goals before the halftime break and looking bereft of any comeback fervor across the second half.
With three draws through the first three qualifying matches, Nigeria required three points to return themselves to a strong position in the six-team group, but instead they were beaten by an inspired Cheetahs side which capitalized on a few defensive errors and maintained strong control once going in front.
It was a horrific showing from new Nigeria manager Finidi George in just his second match in charge, as he made numerous baffling blunders which doomed the Super Eagles to defeat. Most notably, he withdrew AC Milan winger Samuel Chukwueze on the hour mark, sapping Nigeria of its brightest attacker on the day, while his replacement Ibrahim Olawoyin had no impact on the game.
STREAM NIGERIA VS. BENIN FOR FREE ON FIFA+
Having inexplicably left Victor Boniface and Frank Onyeka on the bench for the second straight match following a 1-1 draw with South Africa, George then made a number of errors which betrayed his standing in the position. The former Super Eagles international made a double change just six minutes after the halftime break, when even the greenest managers will know that burning a substitute window so soon after the halftime freebee is an elementary error.
That was followed by the baffling decision to withdraw Chukwueze just moments after he had orchestrated Nigeria’s latest opportunity on net, indicating that George may well and truly be out of his depth. With the Super Eagles looking error-prone at the back and out of sync up front, frustration boiled over on the pitch with a headless Nigeria side looking certain to fall short of a comeback.
The defeat leaves the Super Eagles in serious danger, still without a single win after four matches and looking up at a three-point deficit to four teams above them in the standings. Only the group winners reaches the 2026 World Cup, while four of the nine second-place finishers will enter a playoff for one more spot. There are still six matches left to play, but with so many teams to catch, Nigeria cannot afford any more slips and don’t show signs of improvement.
Kickoff: 4 p.m. local (12 p.m. ET / 9 a.m. PT)
Location: Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium (Abidjan, Ivory Coast)
Referee: Pierre Ghislain Atcho (GAB)
Starting lineups:
Benin (4-3-3, right to left): 1. Dandjinou (GK) — 11. Moumini, 4. Hountondji, 13. Tijani, 12. Kiki — 19. Dodo, 15. D’Almeida, 8. Imourane — 20. Dossou (Tosin, 44′), 9. Mounie, 18. Olaitan (Ahlinvi, 87′).
Nigeria (4-3-3, right to left): 23. Nwabali (GK) — 5. Tanimu, 6. Ajayi, 21. Bassey, 12. Osayi-Samuel (Ismaila, 60′) — 15. Onyedika, 17. Iwobi (Onuachu, 51′), 4. Ndidi (Yusuf, 79′) — 7. Lookman, 9. Moffi (Boniface, 51′), 11. Chukwueze (Olawoyin, 60′).
Nigeria never looked up to a comeback as they fall to a shocking defeat at the hands of Benin at a neutral venue. It’s a damaging result which leaves the Super Eagles in real peril of missing the 2026 World Cup.
It’s a disasterous performance all around, and starts from the top as new manager Finidi George had a disastrous performance on the touchline. The withdrawal of Samuel Chukwueze was the nail in the coffin, and left the Super Eagles ill-equipped to mount a comeback while Benin looked comfortable the entire way.
Le classement du 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽𝗲 𝗖 des 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗽𝗲 𝗱𝘂 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 a encore été mis à jour dans l’attentes des prochains matchs de nos adversaires mais il est sympa à visualiser 🫣#AllezLesGuépards 🐆 pic.twitter.com/fGIEf0k0Mc
90+4 min: Chance, Nigeria! A miserable clearance of a Nigeria cross by Alhassan Yusuf sees Victor Boniface keep the ball alive, recycling it with a header, but the referee blows his whistle for a foul as Raphael Onyedika challenges in the air with Benin goalkeeper Marcel Dandjinou.
In the aftermath of another fizzled Nigeria chance, it’s all kicked off as tempers flare! Players are pushing and shoving, and a Benin player tumbles to the turf, but the referees come rushing in to snuff out the red mist and no cards are issued.
90+3 min: Nigeria substitute Ismaila is booked for a clumsy tackle in midfield to prevent a Benin break.
90th min: A brilliant tackle by Mohamed Tijani to dispossess Ademola Lookman before he can take a shot after charging into a great position to fire on net! Five minutes of added time are shown…
85th min: Chance, Nigeria! Finally the Super Eagles break out of the doldrums and create an opportunity as Victor Osimhen nearly produces a moment of brilliance with a bicycle kick, but the cross is just barely cut out as bodies go flying everywhere and the ball is deflected out for a corner. Nigeria are running out of time.
Benin star Olaitan gets a resounding applause from the home fans as he comes off, replaced by Matteo Ahlinvi.
77th min: Nigeria work a pair of successive corners but both come to nothing as Benin manage to sort out any whiff of danger. The Super Eagles do not look likely to snatch an equalizer or winner, in a match in which anything less than three points can be considered a disappointment.
The captain Wilfried Ndidi is withdrawn in favor of Alhassan Yusuf. Bafflingly, Frank Onyeka remains on the bench.
75th min: Benin have this match entirely under control right now as Nigeria have failed to create anything of note since their 55th minute opportunity. Removing Samuel Chukwueze was a regrettable decision from Finidi George.
67th min: Chance, Benin! The Nigeria defense nearly fumbles into conceding a third messy goal, but it’s cleared at the last moment before Steve Mounie pokes it into the net. The Super Eagles have been all over the place when Benin get forward, especially from dead ball situations.
60th min: Two more changes for Nigeria as Sodiq Ismaila comes on for Bright Osayi-Samuel, and Ibrahim Olawoyin replaces Samuel Chukwueze. The withdrawal of Chukwueze makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, as he’s been Nigeria’s brightest attacker and hardly looks tired. What a managerial disaster from Finidi George…
55th min: Chance, Nigeria! Oh dear, Samuel Chukwueze does brilliantly to flick a cross into a dangerous position with two attackers all alone in front of goal, but the Nigerian attackers royally botch the chance to equalize! On hand for the finish are Ademola Lookman and Paul Onuachu, with the latter in prime position to receive the ball and strike it home, but Lookman doesn’t know his teammate is behind him, and jumps to head the ball.
He gets the header all wrong, barely making contact to flick the ball well wide, and the towering Onuachu is beside himself knowing if the ball had fallen to him he’d have buried it for sure!
51st min: What an odd time for Nigeria coach Finidi George to make a pair of changes, just five minutes after halftime, but here we are as Alex Iwobi and Terem Moffi are withdrawn. Entering the match are Paul Onuachu and Victor Boniface, a pair of attacking players.
48th min: Benin are nearly through on goal again, but Steve Mounie is brilliantly tackled by Semi Ajayi at the last possible moment before he gets a shot off. Junior Olaitan did wonderfully well to create the chance, leaving Benjamin Tanimu in the dust with a deft move on the left wing before cutting inside.
Kickoff: This scoreline is a shock, but Nigeria have created more than enough attacking volume to consider themselves up for a comeback. No changes at the break for either side as the two teams get back under way in Abidjan.
A wonderful opener for Nigeria saw them deservingly in front as they controlled the first half-hour of the match, but Benin hung around and took full advantage of two schoolboy errors at the back by the Nigeria defensive unit. On the first, Calvin Bassey will know he’s the last line of defense and cannot misjudge the flight of the ball so poorly, and on the second the corner absolutely must be cleared.
Nigeria have struggled with finishing for years now, and are not looking likely to turn that around any time soon, especially with Victor Boniface stuck on the bench. Knowing that, errors at the back such as those leave them open to disappointing results, and they’ll need a near-perfect second half to secure all three points from this game.
Credit Benin for keeping their wits about them after the opener and remaining up to the task when given chances in front of goal.
45+3 min: GOAL! BENIN! Oh dear, Nigeria have conceded just seconds before the halftime break! They’ve been dangerous on set-pieces all match, and the whipped delivery somehow squeaks right through to Steve Mouine who slams it home from close range!
Looks like Mohamed Tijani may have gotten a cheeky backheel touch at the front post to wrong-foot the Nigerian defenders, but that just has to be cleared!! Two awful defensive errors from Nigeria see them lose their early lead and enter the halftime break with a one-goal deficit!
45th min: Ademola Lookman sends Benin right-back Rachid Moumini for a hot dog with a brilliant nutmeg, but he gets the cross all wrong as he had a teammate free on goal just a few yards away, but launches the ball way wide of its target and out of play.
42nd min: It had initially appeared as if Benin goal scorer Jodel Dossou had been able to shake off the injury suffered in the process of finding the back of the net, but his presence in this game may be short-lived as he has to go off to receive treatment. Benin won’t want to play down a man for long, and a decision will have to be made quickly.
Eventually, Dossou is brought off with Aiyegun Tosin entering the match.
37th min: GOAL! BENIN! The “hosts” are level as Jodel Dossou skips past an awful aerial challenge from Calvin Bassey, and catches Nigeria napping to poke it home past a charging Stanley Nwabali! Bassey misjudged the flight of the ball, and it allows Dossou to run clean through on goal!
It looks as if Dossou has cropped up with a hamstring injury in the process, and his celebration is dampened by the muscle problem. Benin will take it though, and they’re even again after another defensive error by Nigeria! Thankfully, Dossou is able to continue as he walks off the initial niggle.
Benin equalize – thanks to the miscommunication in Nigeria’s defence.
Benin 1-1 Nigeria
pic.twitter.com/KCVYzjt8xq
28th min: GOAL! NIGERIA! A SENSATIONAL OPENER FROM RAPHAEL ONYEDIKA! The ball comes to him at the top of the penalty area from Samuel Chukwueze down the right, and despite the ball initially getting stuck at his feet, he improvises with a deft flick of his right foot and deposits it into the top-right corner!
It’s the 23-year-old’s first international goal on his seventh cap!
Onyedika with a lovely finish to put Nigeria ahead in Abidjan.
Benin 0-1 Nigeria pic.twitter.com/fKl0tJiQma
26th min: Chance, Benin! WHAT a save by Stanley Nwabali! A corner came in to the penalty spot which is headed forward by a rising Benin player. It falls right to the feet of Junior Olaitan, who is denied by the Nigeria shot-stopper from point-blank range! The offside flag then raises to nullify the chance, but Nwabali didn’t know that at the time! A stunning stop from a huge opportunity!
12th min: Chance, Nigeria! Nigeria continue to control the attacking threat, but they look shaky at the back as goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali nearly finds himself caught in possession. It doesn’t phase the Super Eagles though, as they quickly move forward and create the best chance of the match so far.
Ademola Lookman finds Bright Osayi-Samuel who gets on his right foot and drags a low curler just wide of the far post! He beat the goalkeeper who came up empty-handed with his full-stretch dive, but also beat the woodwork. Not far off!
5th min: Nigeria have been on the front foot early on, with Ademola Lookman the most dangerous transitional player so far, unsurprisingly. Benin are defending with physicality which will leave this match on a knife edge should it continue.
Kickoff: They’re under way in the Ivory Coast! Nigeria will be under big pressure to win this match, as failure to achieve all three points will leave them in real trouble for World Cup qualifying. A few big lineup surprises have put the focus squarely on new Super Eagles head coach Finidi George who will bear the brunt of the blame for any slip.
15 mins to kick: Benin have had to play their World Cup qualifiers this cycle away from home because of inadequate facilities. This isn’t new for Benin or a number of other African countries — the Cheetahs played their last “home” game against Rwanda here in Abidjan as well, and they played a “road” match against Lesotho in South Africa in the previous window.
30 mins to kick: The Benin lineup is finally in, and head coach Gernot Rohr has not made any changes from the 1-0 win over Rwanda a few days prior.
Benin 1-0 Rwanda
Dodo Dokou scored for the Cheetahs in Abidjan to claim their first win in Group C.
After beating the table toppers, Gernot Rohr and his boys shift attention to Nigeria on Monday. pic.twitter.com/XgYI5qEc5L
45 mins to kick: Benin are led by German boss Gernot Rohr, who managed Nigeria for five years including their last World Cup appearance in 2018. His time with the Super Eagles came to an acrimonious end, as he was sacked in December 2021 despite having achieved qualification to the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations and the final round of World Cup qualifying. Nigeria would famously fall short of the goal in his absence, and he would be hired by Benin in 2023.
This would be some motivation for Rohr and Benin, but Nigeria are also seeing it that way, to prove they are above their former coach’s current stature.
@NGSuperEagles stand in captain Wilfred Ndidi( @Ndidi25): “Facing Gernot Rohr who coached us for about 5 years is some motivation for us to win this match.”#2026WCQs #BENNGA #SoarSuperEagles. pic.twitter.com/Jd4AN1TQF2
1 hour to kickoff: The Nigeria lineup is in, and Semi Ajayi has passed fit for Nigeria, a big boost, but Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, who scored the team’s only goal against South Africa last time out, will not start, replaced by Samuel Chukwueze of AC Milan. Also coming into the side is Raphael Onyedika as Kelechi Iheanacho is dropped for an extra midfielder, while Frank Onyeka is left on the bench.
Surprisingly, Bayer Leverkusen star Victor Boniface has been left on the bench again, with Terem Moffi chosen to lead the attack.
1 hour 30 mins to kickoff: There are a pair of fitness questions for Nigeria head coach Finidi George coming into this game, with winger Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and defender Semi Ajayi both facing fitness tests ahead of the match. The potential absence of Ajayi would be a significant miss given the lack of defenders in the squad, including the aforementioned William Troost-Ekong.
Best of luck to Semi Ajayi, BTA and Okay Yokuslu who could all feature for their nations this evening.
Go well, lads! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/IgAxx6CDCZ
2 hours to kickoff: Nigeria are sorely missing the leadership of AFCON hero William Troost-Ekong, who was not called into the Super Eagles squad this international window due to a lack of match fitness. He missed the final few months of the club season with an injury suffered in the AFCON final.
Troost-Ekong also recently spoke out against the Nigeria coaching staff, saying he “almost retired” from national team duty because “I didn’t like how the coach handled some situations.” He didn’t name the coach he was upset with, whether it be new head man Finidi George or someone from before, but it was clear he was speaking of recent thoughts and not in the distant past.
‘I was almost retiring from playing with the Super Eagle because I didn’t like how the coach handled some situations’ – Troost Ekong
Catch full episode tomorrow on YouTube and all podcast streaming platforms. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/SlVOZSsYNg
Benin could stick with an unchanged starting line up from their 1-0 win over Rwanda last time out, with Stade Brest striker Steve Mounie the most notable name in the XI.
Benin starting lineup (4-3-3): Dandjinou (GK) — Moumini, Hountondji, Tijani, Kiki — Dokou, D’Almeida, Imourane — Dossou, Mounie, Olaitan.
Benin subs (12): Allagbe (GK), K. Aziz (GK), Fassinou, Roche, Sankamao, Dossou, Ahouangbo, Ahlinvi, Tchetchao, Tossi, Akinyoola, Amoussou.
Nigeria are without injured talisman Victor Osimhen who will miss a month and likely not be available until the start of the next club season. They are also missing Bayer Leverkusen forward Nathan Tella due to personal reasons, further depleting their attacking ranks.
In that thin attack, Nigeria could see Victor Boniface or Samuel Chukwueze rotated into the side after the 1-1 draw with South Africa, with Paul Onuachu misfiring in that result. Midfielder Frank Onyeka was strong for Nigeria in the most recent AFCON, but he is left out again with Raphael Onyedika entering the midfield.
Team leaders Ahmed Musa and William Troost-Ekong were notably absent from the squad due to a lack of match fitness, as the former is without a club since being released from Sivasspor in February and the latter missing the final third of the club season at PAOK due to an injury.
Nigeria starting lineup (4-3-3): Nwabili (GK) — Tanimu, Ajayi, Bassey, Osayi-Samuel — Onyedika, Iwobi, Ndidi — Lookman, Moffi, Chukwueze.
Nigeria subs (12): Okoye (GK), Ojo (GK), Ismaila, Igboke, Olawoyin, Awaziem, Onyeka, Dele-Bashiru, Abdullahi, Onuachu, Iheanacho, Boniface.
STREAM NIGERIA VS. BENIN FOR FREE ON FIFA+
Aside from a few select territories, this match will be available globally on FIFA+, which is a free streaming service for those who sign up.
The exceptions include India, where the match will be streamed on FanCode. Others include Serbia, Croatia, and the two participants, Nigeria and Benin. In Nigeria, the match is available to watch on NTA Sports 24.
Kyle Bonn is a soccer content producer for The Sporting News.
