World Cup qualification in Africa gets underway this week, as the road to the Americas in 2026 gets underway. South Africa previously hosted the competition in 2010, but they could face an uphill challenge to book a spot in the tournament in three years. They will get their campaign underway on Saturday against Benin.
World Cup Qualifier Preview
South African memories of the World Cup remain very fond after their hosting of the 2010 competition. During that edition, they failed to make it out of the group stage, making unwanted history in the process by becoming the first host to fail to make it out of the first stage. However, they will be dreaming of reaching a fourth World Cup in three years time.
South Africa will need to be more consistent than they were in the qualification campaign for the 2022 World Cup, as they won just four of their six matches. But, they have shown some solid form throughout this year, as they have been very challenging to beat. However, it would be a concern that they have recorded just a single victory from their six previous internationals. But, they will take confidence from a recent 1-1 draw against the Ivory Coast.
Benin will be among the heavy outsiders to gain qualification to the World Cup, as they have failed to achieve that feat throughout their history. In fact, they come into this campaign after winning just 16 of their previous 51 qualifiers. Over the same period, they have suffered 27 defeats, conceding 93 goals in the process.
Their results this year have been underwhelming, as they have landed just a single victory from six internationals. Their only victory was an awarded 3-0 win over Rwanda in March. Since then, they have lost two of their last three, which includes a 2-1 defeat on the road against Madagascar.
South Africa vs Benin Head to Head
This will only be the second international showdown between these two nations. The only previous meeting came in the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations, with South Africa landing a comfortable 2-0 success in January.
South Africa vs Benin Prediction
Benin’s record this year is a huge concern ahead of their World Cup opener this weekend. Therefore, it appears challenging to overlook South Africa landing a second straight success over their rivals to kick off their qualifying campaign.
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