Bafana Bafana Move Up on Latest FIFA Rankings After Back to Back Wins in WCQ
- South Africa has climbed in the latest FIFA World Rankings following back-to-back victories in the World Cup qualifiers last month
- Bafana Bafana secured a 2-0 win over Lesotho and followed it up with another 2-0 victory against Benin in the World Cup qualifiers in March
- Morocco remain the highest-ranked nation in Africa and are followed closely by the Teranga Lions of Senegal
South Africa have moved up on the latest FIFA World Rankings after their back-to-back wins in the World Cup qualifiers last month.
Bafana Bafana defeated the Crocodiles of Lesotho 2-0 in their first match in the international break, before ending it with another 2-0 win over the Cheetahs of Benin.
Hugo Broos' side are currently unbeaten in their last 18 matches in all competitions and have won six games out of the last seven.
Source: Twitter
Bafana climb up on latest FIFA rankings
In the latest rankings FIFA released, Bafana Bafana climbed one spot from their last position and now sits in 56th place in the world among the Men's national team all over the world.
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The move secured South Africa's tenth place in Africa with Morocco still holding the top spot in Africa and ranked 12th overall.
The Atlas Lions are followed by Senegal who are 19th worldwide, while the third most ranked team in Africa Egypt are 32nd.
Algeria are fourth in Africa and 36th in the world while the AFCON winners Ivory Coast complete the top five in Africa but are 41st in the world.
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In sixth place in Africa is Nigeria, who are 43rd in the world, Tunisia 49th, Cameroon 50th, Mali 53rd and South Africa 56th.
Reactions as Bafana climb up on latest FIFA rankings
Karabo said:
"SA is easily top 5 in Africa. These rankings hayi."
Dark wrote:
"The most confusing part is that South Africa can beat 4 of 5 top 5 countries."
collen_sambo2 reacted:
"We have been on that spot 10 for a while now and we have improved so much compared to some of the teams on top of us."
Sibusiso_Sakheh added:
"We must remember that the boys are undoing the damage caused by the previous squads for years we so it might take a while for us to get back ontop again."
Emma_Tsebe shared:
"Who cares about the rankings anymore ,we need ll beat those number 1 s in the coming FIFA World Cup in Trump s backyard 😁😁."
its__Karabo implied:
"Really one spot? Nah F*ck these FIFA ratings, might as well name them Favourite Country ratings."
Wu Tang Mash responded:
"We need to play and beat higher ranked opposition and also qualify for WCs and win there. Euro countries are using Nations League to stat pad and keep their rankings high."
South Africa edge closer to 2026 WC
As of April 3, 2025, South Africa's national football team holds a commanding lead in Group C of the World Cup qualifiers in Africa.
Bafana Bafana has amassed 13 points across six matches after securing four wins and one draw. The results position them ahead of their closest competitors Nigeria who are 4th with 7 points, one behind Rwanda and Benin, who both have 8 points each.
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SA to lose 3 points? How FIFA punished Nigeria, 1 other country for similar Mokoena blunder
However, South Africa’s campaign faces a potential challenge stemming from an eligibility controversy involving midfielder Teboho Mokoena.
Despite having accumulated two yellow cards in prior matches, Mokoena was fielded in a game against Lesotho, raising concerns about a possible breach of regulations.
This administrative lapse has sparked discussions regarding the potential forfeiture of points from that fixture, which could jeopardize South Africa’s standing in the group.
Bafana Bafana's upcoming fixtures
South Africa’s remaining four matches in Group C are pivotal to securing their qualification for the World Cup and are scheduled as follows:
Matchday 7: South Africa vs. Lesotho
Date: September 3, 2025
Location: To Be Announced
Matchday 8: Zimbabwe vs. South Africa
Date: September 6, 2025
Location: To Be Announced
Matchday 9: South Africa vs. Benin
Date: October 9, 2025
Location: To Be Announced
Matchday 10: Rwanda vs. South Africa
Date: October 12, 2025
Location: To Be Announced
FIFA threatens to ban African country
Briefly News also reported that World Football governing body, FIFA have threatened to ban an African country from international football after going against one of the organisation's rules.
FIFA sent an official letter to the country's football association over their recent actions.
Nomso Obiajuru was a contributing writer in this article
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Source: Briefly News
