Nigeria’s hopes of reaching the 2026 World Cup may have gotten a lifeline as South Africa risk losing three points for fielding an ineligible player in one of the qualifiers against Lesotho last week.

The player in question, Mamelodi Sundowns’ Teboho Mokoena, had accumulated two yellow cards in the qualification series and was not supposed to play last Friday against Lesotho, a game South Africa won 2-0.

The midfielder got his first caution in November 2023 in South Africa’s 2-1 victory over the Benin Republic in Match Day 1 of the qualification series. Mokoena got another yellow card in Bafana Bafana’s win over Zimbabwe in June 2024.

According to Section 67 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, a player is ineligible to play the next match if he accumulates two yellow cards.

“If a person receives a caution in two separate matches of the same FIFA competition, they are automatically suspended from the next match in that competition. Such suspensions must be served before any other suspension,” the disciplinary code partly read.

However, South Africa fielded Mokoena against Lesotho despite two cautions in the qualification race for the 2026 World Cup. Bafana Bafana won the match, opening a two-point lead in Group C of the qualifiers.

That means, according to Section 19 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, South Africa may be sanctioned, leading to a loss of points.

“If a player fielded in a match is declared ineligible following a protest, the team to which the player belongs will be sanctioned by forfeiting the match and paying a minimum fine of CHF 6,000. The player may also be sanctioned,” subsection 2 of Section 19 of the code read.

But South Africa may have a lifeline as Section 18:1 of the rule says, “Associations and their clubs are entitled to lodge protests. Protests must reach the Disciplinary Committee in writing via the FIFA Legal Portal, indicating the relevant grounds, within 24 hours of the end of the match in question”.

South Africa are four points ahead of Nigeria with 10 points after five rounds of matches. But if the protest over Mokoena’s ineligibility is successful, Lesotho will be on eight points, giving the Super Eagles a better chance of overtaking South Africa, depending on the results of other matches on Tuesday.