South Africa’s hopes of tightening their grip on Group C in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers have taken a blow after winger Relebohile Mofokeng was ruled out of Friday’s clash with Zimbabwe through injury.
Head coach Hugo Broos confirmed the setback during his Monday press conference, revealing that Mofokeng’s absence has forced a late reshuffle in his squad.
“We replaced him with Shabalala,” Broos told journalists. “Second, there are two players who have not arrived because they played on Sunday, that’s (Lyle) Foster and (Sphephelo) Sithole.”
The injury comes at a difficult time for Bafana Bafana, who were recently docked three points by FIFA for fielding an ineligible player in March. That decision dropped them to second place in Group C, level on 14 points with the Benin Republic but behind on goal difference.
Broos’ men now face a tense final stretch, with Zimbabwe visiting Johannesburg on Friday before a potentially decisive meeting with Rwanda next week.
Meanwhile, Benin Republic, who stunned Nigeria earlier in the campaign, are dreaming of a historic World Cup ticket, and forward Andreas Hountondji believes the opportunity is theirs to seize.
“Our next match, against Rwanda, is going to be pivotal. If we manage to pick up the three points, we’ll be very handily placed ahead of our final game, against Nigeria,” the Burnley loanee told FIFA.com.
He admitted that South Africa’s points deduction has opened the door for Benin, and he’s urging his teammates to stay focused on the task ahead.
“I saw the announcement, and I think we’d be mad not to see this as a real opportunity. We have two matches to go, and if we win them both, there’s a good chance we’ll qualify directly. Our destiny is in our own hands, so we have to believe in our chances,” he added.
Benin, currently level on points with South Africa but boasting a superior goal difference, play Lesotho on Friday before travelling to Nigeria for their final qualifier next Tuesday.
With just two games remaining, Group C is shaping up for a dramatic finish. Benin, South Africa, and Nigeria are all still in contention, but every injury, every point, and every missed chance could decide who gets that coveted World Cup ticket.
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