What next for Bafana and Fifa World Cup 2026 qualifiers

South Africa’s 23-year wait for automatic qualification to a FIFA World Cup has been a mixture of triumphs and setbacks, and the final round of qualifying matches in October has become the most crucial step in Bafana Bafana’s pursuit of this long-awaited achievement.

The setback came off the field on Monday, when South Africa were docked three points and their 2-0 win against Lesotho in March was overturned to a 3-0 loss.

The South African Football Association (Safa), the custodian of football in the country, handed a R215 000 fine for negligence after team manager Vincent Tseka failed to account for midfielder Teboho Mokoena’s suspension. Mokoena was not supposed to play against Lesotho in March, having picked up two yellow cards in previous matches.

For much of this campaign, coach Hugo Broos and his Bafana side had been in control, navigating a rare qualifying run with an unusual degree of consistency, which saw them top Group C of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

Monday's sanction dropped South Africa to second place in Group C, level on 14 points with Benin but trailing slightly on goal difference. While the ruling was a shock, it was not entirely unexpected, as the issue had lingered over the team for months.

Crucially, Broos and his players still control their destiny, with both remaining fixtures set to be played in familiar surroundings in Durban and Mbombela.

Their first clash will be against Zimbabwe, technically an away fixture but staged at Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium, since their neighbours do not have a stadium that meets FIFA standards.

Zimbabwe are the only winless side in the group, sitting at the bottom with just four points from eight matches. On paper, this is a fixture in which Bafana should hold the advantage, boasting both momentum and superior quality.

However, Zimbabwe should not be underestimated. Although South Africa beat them 3-1 in the first leg, the Warriors played a key role in complicating Nigeria’s campaign by holding the Super Eagles to two 1-1 draws, leaving them three points behind the leaders with only two matches to play.

Bafana will also need to be wary of their next challenge, having suffered a 2-0 defeat to Rwanda earlier in the qualifiers. The Rwandan Amavubi, currently fourth on 11 points, will be South Africa’s opponents just days after the Zimbabwe clash. While they still have ground to make up, Rwanda have shown they can compete with the best; their narrow 1-0 loss to Nigeria earlier this month demonstrated their quality, though wastefulness in front of goal prevented another surprise result.

South Africa will host Rwanda at Mbombela Stadium, in a city best known as the centre of agriculture. Broos and his men will be hoping that, when the final whistle blows, they can finally reap the rewards of their hard work and plant themselves firmly on the global stage despite the obstacles they have faced.