South Africa is a notable team in the FIFA World Cup history, participating since their first appearance in 1998. They returned for the 2002 tournament and hosted the event in 2010, where they had a significant impact.
For the upcoming 2026 World Cup, which will take place in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, South Africa seemed likely to secure a spot through the African Qualifiers. However, a potential sanction from FIFA may threaten their qualification.
Bafana Bafana currently leads Group C with 17 points, three points ahead of Benin, with two matches left to play in October. They risk losing three points and facing a goal difference decrease by six, after fielding an ineligible player in their 3-0 victory over Lesotho in September.
Point deduction for South Africa due to ineligible player
The situation involves midfielder Teboho Mokoena, who played in the match against Lesotho despite having already received two yellow cards in the qualifiers, which should have led to a one-match suspension. His participation could result in an automatic forfeit, changing the match result to a 0–3 loss for South Africa.
Teboho Mokoena of South Africa during an Olympics game against France. (Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
FIFA’s Disciplinary Code states that if a team plays an ineligible player, the match is automatically considered lost. The default outcome is a 3–0 defeat unless the actual score was worse.
FIFA’s ruling could affect Group C standings
FIFA has informed South Africa that it is investigating the incident, and the expected outcome is a loss of three points, which would reduce their goal differential from +8 to +2.
If this occurs, South Africa would drop to second place in Group C, with Benin moving to first with 14 points and a +4 goal differential. This could create a tight race for qualification.
Benin is scheduled to play against Rwanda and Nigeria away. Nigeria still has a chance of qualifying directly, currently sitting on 11 points, just three behind South Africa. They will need to win against Benin and hope for other favorable results to keep their hopes alive.
South Africa will need to outperform Benin in their remaining matches against Zimbabwe and Rwanda to secure a World Cup spot, which appeared almost certain until recently.