The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has sanctioned the South African Football Association (SAFA) for fielding an ineligible player, Teboho Mokoena, in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match against Lesotho on March 21, 2025.

In a ruling issued by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, South Africa was found to have breached Article 19 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code and Article 14 of the World Cup 2026 Preliminary Competition Regulations.

Consequently, the match has been forfeited and awarded to Lesotho with a 3-0 scoreline. SAFA has also been fined CHF 10,000, while Mokoena received an official warning.

FIFA stated that the decision has been formally communicated to the parties involved. Under its rules, SAFA has ten days to request a detailed explanation of the verdict, which will later be published on legal.fifa.com. The ruling may also be appealed before the FIFA Appeal Committee.

Before the sanction, Bafana Bafana led Group C of the African qualifiers with 17 points from eight matches, three clear of second-placed Benin. However, following the point deduction, South Africa’s 2-0 win over Lesotho has been annulled and replaced with a 0-3 defeat, allowing Benin to overtake them in the standings.

The points deduction has tightened the race for Group C’s top spot, which guarantees automatic qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. South Africa, now trailing Benin, faces increased pressure in their remaining fixtures, with little margin for error.

The sanction also risks dampening team morale and may trigger administrative reforms within SAFA to avoid future compliance lapses. For Lesotho, the ruling provides a major boost to their qualification hopes, as the additional three points significantly improve their standing in the group.