CAF Alerts South African FA Over Imminent 3-Point Deduction in 2026 World Cup Qualifiers

• South Africa are set to know their fate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers as FIFA is set to make a decision
• Bafana Bafana await the world football governing body's stance, having fielded an ineligible player against Lesotho
• The country's Football Association has been notified that they will likely be docked three points from the qualifiers

Top officials at the South African Football Association (SAFA) are on edge as the organisation braces for a potential three-point deduction in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

According to Soccer Laduma, FIFA is set to rule on Bafana Bafana’s fielding of an ineligible player, Teboho Mokoena, in their Matchday 5 victory against Lesotho.

FIFA regulations mandate a one-match suspension for a player who has received two yellow cards in separate qualifier matches.

Mokoena, who had been cautioned in matches against Benin (MD1) and Zimbabwe (MD4), was named in the starting line-up for the 2-0 win over Lesotho, prompting the investigation.

Sources close to SAFA indicate that the organisation may have received confirmation of the penalty from FIFA or the Confederation of African Football (CAF). He said per Guardian:

“We can’t point fingers now—what’s done is done. We must focus on winning every remaining point to qualify."

The potential forfeiture of the result against Lesotho would see South Africa drop to 13 points.

This would jeopardise their position atop CAF qualifying Group C, where they currently lead with 13 points, just ahead of Rwanda and Benin (8 points each), while Nigeria trails with 7 points.

Nigeria have continued to push for FIFA's hammer on Bafana Bafana in order to reposition themselves in the qualifying series, Own Goal reports.

Rohr opens up on South Africa's ineligible player

Meanwhile, the head coach of the Benin national football team, Gernot Rohr, has reacted to the ongoing controversy surrounding South Africa’s alleged use of an ineligible player during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Rohr called on FIFA to apply the same standard used in Nigeria’s 2018 case, where the Super Eagles were sanctioned after fielding Shehu Abdullahi, who had accumulated two yellow cards, in a match against Algeria.

Nigeria had already secured qualification, but FIFA penalised them for the infraction.

The 71-year-old coach emphasised that South Africa’s case should be judged strictly according to the rules, as the African football community awaits FIFA’s decision ahead of the next round of qualifiers.

Okocha sends message to Osimhen, Lookman

Legit.ng earlier reported that Super Eagles icon Austin Jay-Jay Okocha issued a stern warning to key players Victor Osimhen and Ademola Lookman as Nigeria are on the brink of missing the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Okocha, who experienced Nigeria’s absence from the 2006 World Cup in Germany and the 2022 edition in Qatar, shared that the pain of missing the 2006 tournament still lingers despite his three World Cup appearances.

He cautioned that the current squad risks a similar fate, with an entire generation potentially missing out on the global stage

Source: Legit.ng