Hugo Broos' positive influence on Bafana Bafana has come with the evidence of a further rise on the FIFA rankings in the aftermath of the March international dates.
The task at hand for Bafana during these dates was related to 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in Group C of the CAF stream.
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Bafana delivered a 2-0 win over Lesotho on Friday in Polokwane and then travelled to Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, where they won by a similar scoreline against Benin.
With the two victories, 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 still came with the benefit of rankings points and moving one step up.
Bafana will have moved one up from 57 to 56 when FIFA releases the official rankings on April 3.
The senior national team will also retain its place in the top 10 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.
Bafana 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 they 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.
Broos found Bafana down in position 75 when he took over from Molefi Ntseki.
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After the World Cup qualifiers, South Africa 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.