Mokoena's Dilemma: Nigeria Gains as South Africa Faces 2026 World Cup Hurdles
- South Africa's 2026 World Cup hopes hang in the balance after it emerged that they fielded an ineligible player
- The Bafana Bafan a had been in pole position to win a group that also has Nigeria, Rwanda and Benin angling for that spot
- .co.ke breaks down what the issue is, what the law says and if another country has ever been punished for a similar offence
South African and Nigerian football fans have been thrown into a fierce trade of words online after it emerged that the former could be docked points.
In the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the two major powers on the continent ended up in the same group. Only the team that finishes first in their group will secure a place in North America next year.
South Africa and Nigeria compete for a spot in the 2026 World Cup.
Initially unstable, both nations began their campaigns; however, South Africa managed to take control and top the group as they headed into the scheduled international fixtures in March. After defeating Benin with a score of 2-1 in their opening match, Bafana Bafana unexpectedly fell short against Rwanda, ending up at 2-0.
In their third match, they tied with Nigeria at 1-1 before securing a victory against another COSAFA country with a score of 3-1 in their fourth game. Last Friday, they defeated Lesotho with a score of 1-0, bringing their total points up to 10.
Benin ranks second with eight points before their match against South Africa on Tuesday evening. Rwanda, set to face Lesotho on the same day, stands at third place with seven points, just one point above Nigeria, whose campaign has not started yet.
If South Africa had won their match against Benin on Tuesday, they would have been well-placed to secure top spot in the group and advance. Nonetheless, the group dynamics could become chaotic if South Africa faces point deductions.
Was Teboho Mokoena scheduled to play against Lesotho?
It has come to light that South Africa used an ineligible player during their 2-0 victory against Lesotho on Friday. Teboho Mokoena began the match and played for 82 minutes until being substituted with Thalente Mbatha.
The issue at hand is that the Mamelodi Sundowns player received two yellow cards during this season and should have been suspended as a result.
According to official FIFA papers, Mokoena received his first yellow card during the first match day against Benin in the 54th minute, then accumulated another warning during the fourth match day against Zimbabwe in the 52nd minute.
What do FIFA regulations indicate regarding Teboho Mokoena's case?
The inclusion of Mokoena in the match against Lesotho on day five contradicts FIFA’s rules regarding players who have accumulated two yellow cards.
The rule states that if players or team officials get two yellow cards in a single match (including those decided by penalty shootouts) or across two separate games within the tournament, they must serve an automatic suspension for their next game with the team.
If South Africa faces point deductions, this might come as good news for Nigeria, considering they have struggled in their past qualifying matches.
What consequences will South Africa face over the Teboho Mokoena case?
The type of penalty FIFA might impose on the 2010 World Cup hosts remains unclear, though past examples indicate that teams frequently face point deductions when found culpable.
In 2017, Nigeria faced penalties after deploying a player with two accumulated yellow cards from earlier matches. Despite this infraction, Abdullahi Shehu participated in the match resulting in a one-all tie against Algeria. Consequently, FIFA ruled the game in favor of Algeria with a score of 3-0. However, this outcome did not impact the Super Eagles since they had already secured their spot for the 2018 tournament held in Russia.
