Yago noted that the decision was “strange”, given that Nigeria couldn’t even beat bottom-placed Zimbabwe in their group.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Burkina Faso defender, Steeve Yago, has criticized the African football body, CAF, and its global counterpart, FIFA, after Nigeria edged out his country on goal difference to secure a play-off spot for the 2026 World Cup.
Yago expressed his frustration on Wednesday via a post shared on his official X page.
The Super Eagles qualified for the play-offs after thrashing Benin Republic 4-0 in their final World Cup qualifying fixture, played at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, on Tuesday.
Burkina Faso had celebrated their 3–1 victory over Ethiopia, believing it was enough to secure a play-off spot. However, they soon discovered that Nigeria had edged them out on goal difference after both nations finished with an identical adjusted points total.
Under CAF’s qualification regulations for the best four runners-up, results against the bottom-placed team in each group are not considered. This regulation is put in place to ensure fairness, especially for groups that have a different number of teams.
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Due to this, Burkina Faso, who finished second in Group A with 21 points behind Egypt, lost six points from their total after excluding results against Djibouti, reducing their tally to 15 points.
Nigeria, runners-up in Group C with 17 points, dropped only two points from their record after removing results against Zimbabwe, also leaving them with 15 points but a superior goal difference. That advantage secured the Super Eagles the final play-off berth alongside Gabon, DR Congo, and Cameroon.
Reacting to the development, Yago questioned how Nigeria, who finished the group fixtures with 17 points, qualified ahead of Burkina Faso, who had 21 points.
He went on to call the decision “strange,” noting that the Super Eagles couldn’t even beat bottom-placed Zimbabwe in their group.
Speaking via his verified social media handle, the defender wrote: “Honestly, it’s strange. You win your matches against the weakest team in your group, and yet Nigeria is ahead of you, even though they didn’t even beat Zimbabwe, the bottom side in their group.
“Apparently, beating the last-placed team is too conventional. Thank you, CAF and FIFA! With my career coming to an end, I’ll soon study the system so I can criticise it properly.”
