Administrative Blunder Nearly Kept South Africa Out of 2026 World Cup

South Africa’s return to the World Cup almost ended before it began. During the 2025 African qualifiers, coach Hugo Broos mistakenly fielded a suspended player in a 2-0 win over Lesotho. FIFA awarded Lesotho a 3-0 victory and fined the South African Football Association. That one overturned result dropped Bafana Bafana from top spot and threatened their automatic qualification. South Africa needed a win over Rwanda and for Benin to slip up. In the final match, they beat Rwanda 3-0 while Nigeria thumped Benin 4-0, sealing South Africa’s spot. Now in Group A, the 2010 hosts face Mexico, the Czech Republic and South Korea. Broos, 74, has announced this tournament will be his last after a 40-year coaching career. He’s aiming to lead South Africa to their first knockout stage appearance.

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