Bafana Bafana move into FIFA Top 10 – in Africa

Thanks to their six-place jump in the FIFA rankings after the conclusion of FIFA World Cup 2026, South Africa are now ranked in the Top 10 in Africa.

Bafana Bafana reached the Round of 32 at the recently-concluded tournament co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

After losing 2-0 to Mexico, a 1-1 draw against the Czech Republic left Hugo Broos’ side needing a win over South Korea in their final Group A clash.

This they duly achieved after completing a 1-0 win to secure the runners-up spot in the group.

However, a 1-0 defeat against Canada in the Round of 32 saw their campaign come to an end.

Ranking rise

It was good enough, however, to see South Africa rise six spots in the rankings from their pre-tournament position of 60th to 54th following the announcement of the updated rankings on Monday.

In terms of Africa, South Africa are now in 10th place.

The Africa standings are headed by Morocco who had a stand-out showing at FIFA World Cup 2026 where they eventually lost in the quarter-finals.

Interestingly, three countries in the Africa Top 10 didn’t qualify for this year’s World Cup, namely Nigeria (fourth), Cameroon (eighth) and Mali (ninth).

South Africa’s highest ever ranking came on 28 August 1996 when they found themselves in the 16th spot.

The next official FIFA ranking update will take place on 7 October 2026.

FIFA rankings – CAF / World