CAS Confirms Equatorial Guinea Points Forfeit, Sparking Benin Hopes and Bafana Bafana Anxiety
- CAS has confirmed a ruling against an African nation for fielding an ineligible player, upholding a controversial FIFA decision
- The ruling has sparked hope for one team in Group C while increasing pressure on another, with fans closely watching potential repercussions
- With the group standings still tight, the decision could dramatically alter the qualifiers and set up a high-stakes showdown in the final round
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Thursday, 11 September 2025, made a landmark ruling with significant implications for the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
CAS, the world’s top sports adjudication body, reaffirmed FIFA’s decision regarding Equatorial Guinea fielding an ineligible player during one of the qualifiers.
The ruling has sparked hope for Benin, who are pushing for South Africa to face a similar sanction after fielding an ineligible Teboho Mokoena in their 2-0 win over Lesotho in March.
Source: Getty Images
With Bafana Bafana currently leading Group C by three points over Benin, a points deduction could level the standings and set up a potential winner-takes-all clash between the two nations in Bloemfontein in the final round of qualifiers.
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What led to Equatorial Guinea's points deduction
Equatorial Guinea had appealed the points deduction to CAS, but the appeal was overturned, upholding FIFA’s original decision.
In November 2023, Equatorial Guinea beat Namibia and Liberia 1-0, but FIFA later awarded 3-0 technical victories to their opponents after it emerged that Emilio Nsue, who scored the winners in both matches, was ineligible.
Despite Nsue having played regularly for the national team over the past decade, FIFA ruled in May 2024 that he had never completed the switch from Spain, where he had represented youth sides.
At the time, FIFA stated it was “comfortably satisfied” that the forward, Africa Cup of Nations golden boot winner just months earlier, had not been properly cleared.
After Nsue was officially cleared to represent Equatorial Guinea in March 2025, the national federation (Feguifut) appealed to have the six forfeited World Cup qualifying points reinstated.
Had the appeal succeeded, Equatorial Guinea would have jumped from fifth to second in Group H, keeping their hopes of reaching a first-ever World Cup alive, though Tunisia had already secured the group’s automatic spot.
Source: Getty Images
FIFA guidelines under scrutiny regarding the Bafana case
FIFA guidelines require protests to be lodged within 24 hours of a match. In the case that involves Bafana Bafana, Lesotho submitted their protest several days after the fixture, raising questions about its validity. The issue gained further attention when the Benin Football Federation lodged an informal complaint to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) via X (formerly Twitter).
CAF and FIFA have yet to clarify whether Bafana Bafana will face sanctions. Nigeria has been the primary nation advocating for the points deduction, increasing pressure on the South African side.
Which other African nations have been penalised by FIFA?
FIFA has a history of penalising African nations for fielding ineligible players during official fixtures. Ethiopia and Nigeria previously faced point deductions and disciplinary action for breaching player eligibility rules in past World Cup qualifying campaigns.
Additionally, Congo-Brazzaville was suspended from international football in February 2025 due to third-party interference in the country’s football federation, FECOFOOT.
FIFA releases statement on Bafana vs Nigeria
Briefly News also reported that ahead of the mouthwatering clash between Bafana Bafana and Super Eagles, FIFA released an official statement concerning the match.
The statement gathered a lot of reactions from Nigerian and South African football fans on social media.
Source: Briefly News
