Safa's epic Mokoena blunder might cost Bafana Bafana around R200m

SA team still has an outside chance of qualifying

- By Kgomotso Mokoena

With qualification for the 2026 Fifa World Cup no longer in Bafana Bafana's hands, the blunder of fielding an ineligible Teboho Mokoena in the World Cup qualifier against Lesotho has come back to haunt the financially strapped association.

If Bafana fail to qualify for next year's World Cup in the last match against Rwanda on Tuesday, the cost to the coffers could be around a whopping R200-million.

On Tuesday, Bafana will wrap up their Group C campaign against Rwanda in a door-die affair aware that should Benin, who lead the group by two points, beat Nigeria, SA's hopes of a World Cup appearance will disappear into thin air.

Though Fifa has not released the breakdown of the prize money and appearance fees for the tournament, it has confirmed that the total prize pool will double from the $440-million (about R7.7-billion) of 2022 in Qatar to $896-million (about R15-billion) in 2026.