Benin have surged to the top of Group C in the African qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after South Africa were stripped of points and goals for fielding an ineligible player.
FIFA announced on Monday that Bafana Bafana’s 2-1 win over Lesotho in March has been overturned, a ruling that also deducted three points and five goals from their tally.
The sanction has dramatically altered the complexion of the group, putting Benin in pole position for qualification with just a few rounds remaining.
Before the decision, South Africa were leading the pool with 17 points and a comfortable goal difference.
But after the ruling, the revised standings now show Benin on 14 points (+4), ahead of South Africa on 14 (+3), followed by Nigeria on 11 (+2), Rwanda on 11 (0), Lesotho on 9 (-3) and Zimbabwe on 4 (-6).
The deduction leaves Bafana Bafana needing positive results in their final fixtures to keep their qualification hopes alive.
FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee found that the South African Football Association (SAFA) breached article 19 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code and article 14 of the World Cup 2026 Preliminary Competition Regulations by fielding midfielder Teboho Mokoena during the March 21 fixture.
“Consequently, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee has declared the match in question to have been forfeited by the representative team of South Africa by a score of 3-0,” the body said in its statement.
In addition to the points deduction, SAFA has been fined CHF 10,000, while Mokoena has received a formal warning.
FIFA said all parties had been notified of the decision and have 10 days to request a motivated ruling, which, if requested, would be published on legal.fifa.com.
The forfeiture decision can still be appealed to the FIFA Appeal Committee, but unless it is overturned South Africa’s path to the 2026 World Cup has become far more precarious, while Benin now hold the advantage in Group C.
