Fairness Rule Backfires — CAF Adjustment Hurts South Africa, Boosts Nigeria-Runners Up Latest Log Table
South Africa’s 2026 FIFA World Cup hopes have taken another major blow after a new CAF rule wiped out the four points they earned against Zimbabwe, leaving them on 11 points. The rule — introduced after Eritrea’s withdrawal from Group E — removes all results against the bottom team in each group when ranking second-placed teams for playoff qualification.
CAF made this little known rule change in March 2025 to ensure fairness, as one group now has only five teams. Under the revised system, the top four runners-up, based on adjusted points, advance to playoffs hosted in Morocco — but any points earned versus the last-placed team are excluded.
This adjustment has dramatically reshuffled the standings: nations like Cameroon stand to gain, while sides such as South Africa, Gabon, and Burkina Faso lose ground because they collected many points against bottom teams.
For Bafana Bafana, the maths is brutal — even a win over Zimbabwe wouldn’t have helped, since those six points no longer count. Their only route to qualification now is to beat Rwanda and hope Nigeria defeats Benin, allowing them to top Group C.
