South Africa’s victory in the 2026 World Cup qualifying match was nullified by FIFA on Monday due to the use of an ineligible player, causing them to lose their top position in the group standings. The disciplinary decision by FIFA reversed South Africa’s win against Lesotho in March, propelling Benin to the top spot with two matches remaining and granting Nigeria a chance to progress to the finals tournament.
The upcoming decisive qualifying games will determine the group winner on Oct. 14, who will secure direct entry to the World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. South Africa, which has not participated in a World Cup since hosting the 2010 event, faced the setback of forfeiting their victory over Lesotho, previously recorded as a 2-0 win but now deemed a 3-0 loss by FIFA’s disciplinary judges.
The controversy arose when South Africa fielded Teboho Mokoena in the match in Polokwane, despite the midfielder being required to serve a one-game suspension for accumulating yellow cards in previous qualifying matches. This administrative oversight has brought embarrassment to South Africa, especially considering that the country’s top soccer official, Patrice Motsepe, serves as a FIFA vice president and heads the Confederation of African Football (CAF). Additionally, Motsepe owns the Mamelodi Sundowns club, for which Mokoena plays.
FIFA has allowed the South African soccer federation to appeal the decision to forfeit the match. Moreover, the federation has been fined 10,000 Swiss francs ($12,500 US), and Mokoena has received a formal warning for the incident.