Bafana Bafana have slipped into second place in their FIFA World Cup qualification group after FIFA decided to sanction them for fielding Teboho Mokoena while suspended.
On Monday, FIFA announced their ruling on the for having fielded an “ineligible player” in Mokoena in their match vs Lesotho played on 21 March 2025.
FIFA argued SAFA/Bafana breached “article 19 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC) and article 14 of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Preliminary Competition Regulations”, resulting in a points deduction which has seen Hugo Broos’ men slide into second place behind Benin.
SAFA have 10 days to appeal the decision before the log will be officially updated, but the new Group C standing will now look as per below:
- Benin – 14 points | +4
- South Africa – 14 points | +3
- Nigeria – 11 points | +2
- Rwanda – 11 points | +0
- Lesotho – 9 points | – 3
- Zimbabwe – 4 points | – 6
Bafana now need to win both their games against Zimbabwe and Rwanda, and hope Benin will drop points in their final qualifiers against Rwanda or Nigeria.
In case Benin match Bafana’s points in the final two qualifiers, Broos’ side need to make up the one goal gap in their goal difference, which is the first tie breaker in FIFA qualifiers (unlike in CAF where head-to-head counts first).
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