2026 World Cup Qualifiers: Nigeria gains advantage after South Africa sanction

The FIFA Disciplinary Committee sanctioned the South African Football Association (SAFA) for fielding ineligible player Teboho Mokoena.

The breach occurred during South Africa’s 21 March 2025 match against Lesotho in the FIFA World Cup 2026™ preliminary competition.

FIFA applied Article 19 of the Disciplinary Code and Article 14 of the Preliminary Competition Regulations.

The committee declared South Africa’s match forfeited, awarding Lesotho a 3-0 victory.

SAFA must pay a CHF 10,000 fine, while Teboho Mokoena received an official warning.

FIFA notified all parties today. They have ten days to request a motivated decision.

If requested, FIFA will publish the decision on legal.fifa.com.

The forfeiture remains subject to appeal before the FIFA Appeal Committee.

The sanction directly impacts Group C standings, giving Nigeria a significant boost ahead of the final qualifying games.

With South Africa’s points deduction, the group opens up, creating new opportunities for Nigeria and other teams.

The ruling underlines FIFA’s strict enforcement of eligibility rules in World Cup qualifiers.

Nigeria now prepares for its final group matches with a stronger position, hoping to secure early qualification.

Group C teams will closely monitor any appeal from South Africa that could alter the current standings.

This is the current standings of Group C

Benin  14 pts + 4 goals
South Africa 14 pts +3 goals
Nigeria  11 pts +2 goals
Rwanda  11 pts +0 goals
Lesotho 9 pts – 3 goals
Zimbabwe 4 pts – 6 goal