Bafana Bafana have reaped the benefits of their recent victories with yet another forward step on the FIFA rankings.
Hugo Broos led the senior national team to two victories in Group C of the 2026 FIFA World Cup CAF qualifiers in March.
Bafana delivered a 2-0 win over Lesotho in Polokwane and then travelled to Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, where they won by a similar scoreline against Benin.
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With the two wins, Broos' men moved top of the standings in Group C with 13 points – enjoying the comforts of a five-point lead over second-placed Rwanda and Benin.
While those two victories were against lowly-ranked countries in Lesotho (149) and Benin (94), it has come with the benefit of rankings points and one step up.
As was reported by this website on March 26, FIFA have confirmed that Bafana have moved one up from 57 to 56.
They also retain their 10th position on the continent behind Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, Cote d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Tunisia, Cameroon, and Mali.
While rankings are key in certain elements, priority for Bafana is qualification for the 2026 World Cup in USA/Canada/Mexico.
South Africa last went to the World Cup via qualifiers in 2002 and will do that without needing to look over their shoulders if they win their four remaining games.
The last time Bafana got into the top 50 bracket was October 2011 but could get back in again at the end of the year with four World Cup qualifiers plus the AFCON finals coming.
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After the World Cup qualifiers, Bafana will end the year at the AFCON finals in Morocco from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026, where they will have Angola, Egypt, and Zimbabwe in their group.
The senior national team are through to their 12th appearance at the biennial competition, doing so after an impressive bronze medal finish at the previous tournament held in Cote d'Ivoire.