South Africa’s hopes of securing an automatic spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers are in jeopardy after fielding an ineligible player during their 2-0 win over Lesotho last Friday.
Midfielder Teboho Mokoena, who had accumulated two yellow cards earlier in the qualifiers, was included in the starting lineup and played 82 minutes before being substituted.
Mokoena received his first booking during South Africa’s 2-1 win over the Benin Republic in November 2023 and was cautioned again in the 52nd minute of their 3-1 victory over Zimbabwe in June 2024.
FIFA rules state that a player who receives two yellow cards across different matches is automatically suspended from the next game.
“If players or team officials receive two cautions in one match (in matches decided by penalties) or in two different matches of the competition, they will be automatically suspended from their team’s subsequent match,” FIFA’s rule book states.
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However, a formal protest from Nigeria or Lesotho—both trailing South Africa by four points—must have been submitted within FIFA’s stipulated timeframe to be considered valid.
“Protests regarding the eligibility of players selected for matches in the preliminary competition shall be submitted in writing to the FIFA Match Commissioner within two hours of the match in question and followed up with a full written report, including a copy of the original protest, to be submitted to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee in accordance with the applicable provisions of the FIFA Disciplinary Code and by email to qualifiers@fifa.org within 24 hours of the end of the match and shall be dealt with by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee, otherwise they will be disregarded,” FIFA states.
If the protest is upheld, Lesotho, currently fifth with five points, would be awarded three points, boosting their tally to eight. Meanwhile, Nigeria, sitting fourth with six points, could gain a stronger position to overtake South Africa, depending on the outcome of Tuesday’s matches.
South Africa currently lead Group C with 10 points, followed by the Benin Republic with eight, Rwanda with seven, and Nigeria with six after five games. They are set to face Benin next in Abidjan.