World Cup Qualifiers: South Africa at risk of losing three points over ineligible player

This situation mirrors a similar infraction that saw Nigeria deducted three points during the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

South Africa, the current leaders in Group C of the 2026 FIFA World Cup African qualifiers, could face a major setback after reportedly fielding an ineligible player in their 2-0 victory over Lesotho last Friday.

This situation mirrors a similar infraction that saw Nigeria deducted three points during the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

Potential rule violation

Midfielder Teboho Mokoena played in the match against Lesotho, despite having accumulated two yellow cards earlier in the qualifiers, making him ineligible to feature in that fixture.

Mokoena received his first booking during South Africa’s 2-1 win over Benin in November 2023. He was then cautioned again in the 52nd minute during their 3-1 victory over Zimbabwe in June 2024.

According to FIFA regulations, a player who accumulates two yellow cards in different matches of the same competition is automatically suspended for the next game.

Despite this, Mokoena started against Lesotho and played 82 minutes before being substituted for Thalente Mbatha.

If found guilty, South Africa could be docked three points, which would be awarded to Lesotho. This would take Lesotho to eight points in the standings and significantly impact the group’s qualification race.

Impact on Nigeria and Group C standings

This potential punishment could provide a major boost for Nigeria’s Super Eagles, who currently sit fourth in the group with six points. South Africa leads the standings with 10 points, followed by the Benin Republic (8 points) and Rwanda (7 points).

If FIFA enforces the sanction immediately (which wasn’t the case when Nigeria fell short in 2017), South Africa would drop to seven points, giving Nigeria a realistic chance to overtake them, depending on the outcome of upcoming matches.

Nigeria’s experience with similar sanction

Nigeria faced a similar situation during the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers when they were docked three points for fielding an ineligible player, Shehu Abdullahi, in a match against Algeria.

Although the match originally ended in a 1-1 draw, FIFA overturned the result and awarded Algeria a 3-0 victory.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) was also fined $6,000 for the oversight.

Fortunately, the Super Eagles had already secured qualification for the World Cup before the ruling.