South African players are still optimistic about playing at the 2027 FIFA World Cup in Brazil as they look forward to a daunting play-off against Nigeria on Thursday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Banyana Banyana were denied an automatic World Cup ticket by Morocco on Saturday, losing 2-1 to the hosts in Rabat while Nigeria fell 1-0 against Cameroon in Casablanca on Sunday.
The other automatic World Cup spots were also claimed by Cameroon, Algeria and WAFCON debutants Malawi, leaving four other countries to battle for two places in the CAF-organised play-offs before the winners advance to the inter-continental play-offs.
“The goal is still the same,” Karabo Dhlamini told ESPN.
“We’ll try our best to win the play-offs, because we still have a chance to qualify for the World Cup.
