Nigeria, March 25 -- South Africa, the current leaders in Group C of the 2026 FIFA World Cup African qualifiers, could face a major setback after reportedly fielding an ineligible player in their 2-0 victory over Lesotho last Friday.

This situation mirrors a similar infraction that saw Nigeria deducted three points during the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

Midfielder Teboho Mokoena played in the match against Lesotho, despite having accumulated two yellow cards earlier in the qualifiers, making him ineligible to feature in that fixture.

Mokoena received his first booking during South Africa's 2-1 win over Benin in November 2023. He was then cautioned again in the 52nd minute during their 3-1 victory over Zimbabwe in June 2024.

According t...