South Africa Moves Closer to Qualification, Yet Faces Potential Point Deduction; Nigeria Held to a Stalemate

On Tuesday, South Africa secured a 2-0 victory over Benin, extending their lead at the top of their African 2026 World Cup qualifying group to five points, although that advantage may be jeopardised due to the inclusion of an ineligible player in their previous match.

Teboho Mokoena played a crucial role in South Africa’s win against Lesotho four days prior, but his participation was against regulations as he had received two yellow cards, resulting in an automatic one-match suspension.

An anonymous official from the South African Football Association acknowledged that Mokoena had been booked during matchday one against Benin earlier this year and again on matchday four against Zimbabwe last season.

“The team management was indeed negligent ahead of the Lesotho game. Mokoena shouldn’t have been on the field,” he stated in an interview with AFP.

“FIFA’s regulations specify that protests must be lodged within 24 hours after a match concludes, and as far as I know, Lesotho did not do this.”

Mokhosi Mohapi, secretary-general of the Lesotho Football Association, confirmed to AFP that his organisation has “made a formal inquiry to FIFA and CAF regarding Mokoena,” but he did not disclose the timing of the inquiry. According to the FIFA disciplinary code, “the 24-hour limit for protests is non-negotiable.”

In the sixth round against Benin, South Africa opted to rest Mokoena, which resulted in a more straightforward victory than initially expected. Despite dominating possession and only being seriously challenged when captain Ronwen Williams made a superb save from a Junior Olaiten header, South Africa took 53 minutes to break the deadlock.

A well-placed cross from Fawaaz Basadien found Burnley forward Lyle Foster, who diverted the ball into the net off goalkeeper Marcel Dandjinou.

The match was sealed for South Africa six minutes before full-time when substitute Jayden Adams headed in from an Oswin Appollis free-kick.

This victory propelled South Africa to 13 points in the race to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 2010, when they earned an automatic spot as the host nation.

Rwanda and Benin both sit on eight points, with pre-qualifying favourites Nigeria at seven, while Lesotho has six and Zimbabwe trails with four.

Should Lesotho’s appeal regarding Mokoena be upheld, they could rise to nine points, while South Africa’s tally might be adjusted down to 10 with four matches still to play.

Nigeria held to a draw by Zimbabwe

In another match within Group C, Tawanda Chirewa scored a last-gasp equaliser to secure a 1-1 draw for Zimbabwe against Nigeria in Uyo, after star player Victor Osimhen had put Nigeria ahead in the 74th minute.

This result was surprising, given that Osimhen had scored twice in Nigeria’s impressive win over Rwanda last week, while Zimbabwe had managed only a draw against Benin, leaving them still winless.

In Kigali, Rwanda and Lesotho played to a 1-1 draw, with Jojea Kwizera putting the hosts ahead just before the 60-minute mark before Lehlohonolo Fothoane equalised late in the game.

In a surprising twist in Group D, unexpected leaders Cape Verde triumphed 2-1 away at previously unbeaten Angola, thanks to two goals from Verona forward Dailon Livramento.

Cameroon remained close behind Cape Verde, just one point adrift, after a convincing 3-1 victory over Libya in Yaounde, featuring two goals from captain Vincent Aboubakar.

Egypt extended their lead in Group A to five points over Burkina Faso, clinching a 1-0 win against Sierra Leone in Cairo, with Zizo scoring just before the half-time interval.

Sudan, sitting atop Group B, conceded a late goal in the 99th minute, resulting in a 1-1 draw with South Sudan. The match took place in Benghazi, Libya, due to the ongoing civil unrest in Sudan.

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