FIFA has delivered the verdict on the eligibility of Bafana Bafana midfielder Teboho Mokoena, putting an end to months of uncertainty surrounding the team’s 2026 World Cup qualifying win against Lesotho.
The controversy stemmed from South Africa’s 2-0 victory over Lesotho in March 2025, where Mokoena participated despite allegedly being under an automatic one-match suspension for accumulating two yellow cards in earlier qualifiers [against Benin in November 2023 and Zimbabwe in June 2024].
The blunder, which SAFA described as an administrative error, sparked an official investigation by FIFA’s Disciplinary Committee following a verbal protest and appeal for action from the Lesotho Football Association [LFA] and interest from other Group C rivals like Nigeria.
WHAT IS FIFA’S RULING ON THE TEBOHO MOKOENA SAGA
The FIFA Disciplinary Committee declared that South Africa forfeited the match with a final score of 3-0. SAFA has also been instructed to pay a fine of CHF 10,000 [approximately R216,000] to FIFA, while the Masandawana midfielder has been issued a warning.
“The FIFA Disciplinary Committee has sanctioned the South African Football Association (SAFA) for having fielded an ineligible player, Teboho Mokoena, in the South Africa v. Lesotho match played on 21 March 2025 in the FIFA World Cup 2026 preliminary competition, thereby breaching article 19 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code (FDC) and article 14 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Preliminary Competition Regulations,” FIFA wrote.
The verdict means that Hugo Broos’ charges now have 14 points, tying with Benin in Group C. Bafana initially held a three-point lead after the September qualifiers but will drop to second place due to goal difference.
“The parties were notified of the terms of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee’s decision today. In accordance with the relevant provisions of the FDC, they have ten days in which to request a motivated decision, which, if requested, would subsequently be published on legal.fifa.com.
“The forfeiture decision remains subject to a potential appeal before the FIFA Appeal Committee.”
Bafana will face Zimbabwe on October 10, followed by a match against Rwanda four days later to conclude the campaign.
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