Bafana Bafana fielded an ineligible player, Teboho Mokoena, for their 2-0 victory over Lesotho on March 21, 2025, and the FIFA Disciplinary Committee have now docked them three points, awarded a 3-0 win to the opposition, and fined them CHF 10,000.

Fielding an ineligible player is one of the many reasons countries have suffered sanctions from the world football governing body, with other reasons such as political interference, fan violence, or administrative failings also causing such.

These sanctions have shaped the journey of some teams on the road to the biggest football stage. 

Below are 10 African teams that have faced such sanctions, their offences, and how the punishments affected their qualification campaigns.

Equatorial Guinea were punished during the 2026 World Cup qualifiers after it was discovered that they fielded Emilio Nsue, who had previously represented Spain at youth level without completing a nationality switch.

The country had to forfeit matches in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, and they were fined. FIFA awarded their opponents points for the affected matches, which effectively ended Equatoguineans hopes of progressing beyond the second round. 

In 2012, Sudan lost three points in the 2014 qualifiers after FIFA ruled that they had fielded Saif Ali, who was suspended. The points deduction came after their victory against Zambia, which was overturned into a 3-0 defeat. 

This ruling damaged their qualifying chances, as Zambia gained an advantage in a tight group. Ultimately, Sudan’s World Cup hopes ended early, partly due to the sanction.

Ethiopia also fell victim to FIFA’s strict rules in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers. The East African side were docked three points after they fielded Minyahil Teshome against Botswana while he was suspended. 

The deduction came at a crucial time, as Ethiopia had been leading their group. Although they managed to recover and still advanced to the playoff stage, the sanction nearly cost them a historic qualification run.

Togo suffered a points deduction in the 2014 qualifiers for using Alaixys Romao, who should have been suspended. The sanction saw them lose three points from their victory over Cameroon, which was awarded as a 3-0 win to the Indomitable Lions. 

The punishment ended any slim chance Togo had of advancing, making their qualification campaign an uphill battle that they could not recover from.

Burkina Faso were sanctioned during the 2014 World Cup qualifiers after fielding an ineligible player. They were docked three points with a 3-0 victory awarded to Congo, as it also came with fines and warnings that affected their focus during the campaign. 

Though they performed well in parts of the qualifiers, the distraction and administrative lapses prevented them from mounting a strong push for their first ever World Cup appearance at that time.

Gabon’s 2014 World Cup qualifiers were hit by controversy when FIFA deducted points for fielding an ineligible player in a game. 

The game was overturned, with the opposition handed a 3-0 victory, and this deduction had a massive effect on Gabon’s campaign, as it eliminated their slim hopes of advancing further in a tough group that also included Morocco.

Nigeria fielded Shehu Abdullahi during a 2018 World Cup qualifying game against Algeria, which he was meant to miss due to suspension. 

The game ended 1-1, but FIFA later awarded Algeria a 3-0 win as a result of Nigeria fielding the ineligible Abdullahi. 

However, that did not affect the Super Eagles, who secured qualification to the mundial.

South Africa were deducted points in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers after FIFA ruled that they fielded Mokoena, an ineligible player, during a game against Lesotho. 

The decision meant that the result of the fixture was overturned into a 3-0 defeat, and the punishment saw them drop one spot in the group, behind Benin Republic by goal difference.