Bafana Bafana have dropped two places in the latest FIFA rankings despite a 3-1 international friendly win against Zambia last week.
It seems like Hugo Broos’ decision to play one friendly backfired as the team has now dropped outside the top 10 in Africa.
Bafana are now ranked 61st in the world in the latest update of the FIFA rankings, which is a significant setback ahead of the FIFA World Cup draw next month. If Bafana had ranked higher, they would have been seeded in a different pot, giving them a chance to face weaker teams.
Democratic Republic of Congo are now above Bafana after wins over Nigeria and Cameroon during their World Cup qualification play-offs.
Bafana’s 3–1 victory over Zambia did not improve their rankings
In September, Bafana defeated Lesotho and forced a 1-1 draw with Nigeria, which saw them climb to 55 in the FIFA rankings. A disappointing 0-0 draw with Zimbabwe affected their rankings as they dropped to 59th last month.
Despite qualifying for the FIFA World Cup following their emphatic 3-0 win over Rwanda, Hugo Broos’ charges did not improve, which surprised many.
Will Bafana get a good World Cup draw?
On Thursday, FIFA released its latest rankings, and Bafana Bafana were ranked 61st. A win against a lowly ranked Zambian side did not help the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) champions.
Bafana can only improve if they have a great AFCON tournament next month. Four or five will see them in the top 50 for the first time in over a decade. The tournament begins on 21 December in Morocco