The World Cup draws nearer. South Africa national team avoids FIFA sanctions

Back in March, the South African national team faced Lesotho in a match whose consequences lingered over Bafana Bafana for nearly six months. But it seems that chapter has finally closed.

Details: FIFA recently released a summary of disciplinary decisions from the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Out of the 41 matches included in the report, the Bafana Bafana clash with Lesotho in March—where Teboho Mokoena took to the pitch despite being suspended—was not listed.

According to sports lawyer Mandla Tshabalala, this means that ultimately FIFA will not impose any sanctions, including the possibility of awarding a technical defeat to South Africa for the Lesotho match.

Quote: "We can confidently say that Bafana Bafana are in the clear, because their situation would have required a protest, meaning that someone needed to file a protest over the participation of an ineligible player, but no one did," Tshabalala told Sowetan.