FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee has stripped South Africa of three points in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers after discovering that they fielded Teboho Mokoena, who should have been serving a suspension, in the match against Lesotho.
The infraction occurred during the South Africa vs. Lesotho match on March 21, 2025 at Peter Mokaba Stadium, where the Bafana Bafana player participated despite accruing too many yellow cards. FIFA’s decision also overturned the match result to a 3-0 forfeit in favor of Lesotho and fined the South African Football Association (SAFA) 10,000 Swiss francs.
“The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has sanctioned the South African Football Association (SAFA) for having fielded an ineligible player … thereby breaching Article 19 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code and Article 14 of the FIFA World Cup Preliminary Competition Regulations,” the announcement read.
The ruling significantly impacts Group C standings, costing South Africa the top spot and narrowing their margin in the race to the 2026 World Cup finals.
