South Africa’s Bafana Bafana will effectively enjoy another “home advantage” in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers after the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) confirmed that their penultimate Group C fixture will be staged at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on October 10.
Zimbabwe have been forced to play their home matches away due to a FIFA stadium ban imposed over substandard safety facilities. The Warriors had previously used both Orlando Stadium and Moses Mabhida Stadium but were considering shifting this clash to Francistown, Botswana, in order to attract more of their fans.
However, the Botswana Football Association revealed that the Francistown Sports Complex was unavailable, prompting ZIFA to officially confirm Durban as the match venue.
“The Zimbabwe Football Association wishes to inform fans that the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifier against South Africa on October 10 will be played at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban, South Africa,” the association announced on its website.
This latest decision means South Africa will have played seven out of their 10 group-stage matches on home soil. Originally scheduled for five home fixtures, Bafana Bafana also hosted Lesotho in South Africa and now benefit again from Zimbabwe’s enforced relocation.
Despite the advantage, uncertainty still surrounds the availability of Teboho Mokoena, who received two yellow cards in earlier qualifiers. FIFA has launched an investigation into his eligibility during South Africa’s 2-0 win over Lesotho in March. If found guilty, South Africa could face a points deduction and a 3-0 defeat by forfeit.
Zimbabwe, already eliminated after a poor run that has left them bottom of the table with just four points, have nothing to play for in this match.
Meanwhile, Nigeria still cling to faint hopes of qualification, needing victories against Lesotho (away) and Benin Republic (home) while banking on South Africa to slip in their remaining games against Zimbabwe and Rwanda.
