FIFA Deducts 3 Points from South Africa in 2026 WCQ, See Why- Newsone

FIFA has deducted 3 points from South Africa in the ongoing 2026 WCQ.

Newsone Nigeria reports that the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has officially deducted three points from South Africa in the ongoing 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

This online news platform understands that the FIFA Disciplinary Committee sanctioned the South African Football Association (SAFA) for fielding an ineligible player, Teboho Mokoena, during the 2026 FIFA World Cup preliminary qualifier between South Africa and Lesotho on March 21, 2025.

The football body SAFA’s action breached Article 19 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code and Article 14 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Preliminary Competition Regulations. As a result, the match has been forfeited in favour of Lesotho, with a 3-0 scoreline awarded.

Additionally, SAFA has been fined CHF 10,000, while Mokoena has received an official warning.

Newsone reports that FIFA’s decision was formally communicated to the parties today. Under FIFA rules, they have ten days to request a detailed, motivated decision, which would subsequently be published on legal.fifa.com. The ruling remains subject to appeal before the FIFA Appeal Committee.

Hugo Broos’ men currently sit at the top of their World Cup qualification Group C, having collected 17 points from eight games.

Bafana had a three-point gap to second-placed Benin, but have now been overtaken by the Squirrels after their 2-0 win against Lesotho was annulled and resulted in a 0-3 loss due to an administrative error.

Meanwhile, Newsone reports that the development represents a significant boost for the Super Eagles of Nigeria, who still harbour hopes of playing at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.