South Africa has been penalized by FIFA in the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign for fielding an ineligible player, resulting in the overturning of their victory against Lesotho in March. This ruling has propelled Benin to the top of the group standings with two matches remaining and has reignited Nigeria’s chances of progressing to the final tournament.
The upcoming decisive qualifying matches on October 14 will determine the group winner who will secure a direct spot in the World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. South Africa’s last appearance in a World Cup dates back to when they hosted the 2010 edition.
FIFA’s disciplinary judges have mandated South Africa to forfeit the match against Lesotho, originally recorded as a 2-0 win, now converted to a 3-0 loss. This decision stemmed from South Africa’s inclusion of Teboho Mokoena in the lineup for the game in Polokwane, despite the midfielder being due to serve a one-game suspension for accumulating yellow cards in preceding qualifying matches.
This oversight has brought embarrassment to South Africa, particularly as their top soccer figure, Patrice Motsepe, serves as a FIFA vice president and heads the Confederation of African Football (CAF). Motsepe also has ownership ties to Mokoena’s club, Mamelodi Sundowns.
In response to the ruling, FIFA has imposed a fine of 10,000 Swiss francs ($12,500 US) on the South African soccer federation and issued a formal warning to Mokoena. The federation has the option to appeal against the decision to forfeit the match.