THE Super Eagles’ chances of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup received a boost on Monday, September 29, after world football governing body, FIFA, deducted three points from South Africa for fielding an ineligible player in a Group C qualifier.
In a statement, FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee announced that the South African Football Association (SAFA) breached Article 19 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code and Article 14 of the 2026 World Cup Preliminary Competition Regulations by featuring midfielder Teboho Mokoena in the March 21, 2025 fixture.
The player had accumulated two yellow cards in earlier matches, which automatically translated to his one-game suspension.
The ruling overturns the original result and awards the match to Lesotho, while SAFA must also pay a fine of 10,000 Swiss francs (about ₦18 million).
“The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has sanctioned the South African Football Association (SAFA) for having fielded an ineligible player, Teboho Mokoena, in the South Africa v. Lesotho match played on 21 March 2025 in the FIFA World Cup 2026™ preliminary competition, thereby breaching article 19 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC) and article 14 of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Preliminary Competition Regulations.
“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. SAFA has also been ordered to pay a fine of CHF 10,000 to FIFA, while Teboho Mokoena has been issued with a warning,” the statement read.
The FIFA added that all parties had been informed of the decision and given 10 days to request a written explanation, which would be published on legal.fifa.com.
It noted that SAFA could appeal to the FIFA Appeal Committee, but the forfeiture remained in effect until any appeal is decided.
“The parties were notified of the terms of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee’s decision today. In accordance with the relevant provisions of the FDC, they have ten days in which to request a motivated decision, which, if requested, would subsequently be published on legal.fifa.com,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, the decision has thrown Group C wide open. Before the sanction, South Africa topped the table with 17 points and an eight-goal difference, followed by Benin on 14 points, while Nigeria trailed with 11 points and a +2 goal difference.
The three-point deduction now drops Bafana Bafana to 14 points, level with Benin but still ahead on goal difference. Nigeria, only three points behind with two matches remaining, suddenly have a realistic chance to finish top of the group.
The Super Eagles will face Lesotho and Benin during the October international break. Consecutive wins would move Nigeria to 17 points, but they must also hope that South Africa falter in their remaining fixtures against Rwanda and Zimbabwe.
Only the group winner is guaranteed an automatic ticket to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
However, Nigeria still retains a lifeline even if they finish second. Under FIFA’s new qualifying format for Africa, the four best runners-up across the nine groups will advance to a CAF playoff, with the winners moving into an intercontinental playoff for a final spot.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M