South Africa’s national football team, Bafana Bafana, will face a tougher road at the 2026 World Cup following a drop in their latest FIFA ranking. Despite a 3-1 victory over Zambia, the team slipped two places from 59th to 61st globally, falling out of the top ten African teams. This shift has significant implications for their seeding in the World Cup draw scheduled for December 5 in Washington, D.C.
With the ranking drop, Bafana Bafana is set to be among the lowest-seeded teams in Pot 4, which could result in a challenging group stage. The Democratic Republic of Congo has overtaken South Africa in the African rankings, now placing in the continent’s top ten. Only a few qualified nations, including Jordan, Curacao, Haiti, and New Zealand, are ranked lower than South Africa among confirmed teams. Within Africa, Cape Verde and Ghana remain below Bafana Bafana, though teams from the same confederation are generally kept apart in the draw.
The team’s coach, Hugo Broos, confirmed that South Africa will not play additional matches before the Africa Cup of Nations. Broos emphasized that the squad has faced sufficient African opposition, adding that they do not need further preparation games against regional teams. This decision effectively limits South Africa’s chances of improving their ranking before the World Cup draw.
While there remains a minor possibility for Bafana Bafana to move into Pot 3 if all six play-off winners are seeded in Pot 4, the current scenario guarantees their placement among the 12 lowest-ranked qualifiers. This situation makes the group stage particularly challenging, especially with higher-ranked teams from other confederations likely to be drawn against them.
South America’s qualifiers, including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay, Ecuador, and Paraguay, all rank significantly higher than South Africa. Similarly, top European nations like Spain, France, England, and Germany are among the elite teams. From Asia, only Jordan is ranked below Bafana, while in CONCACAF, Curacao and Haiti occupy lower positions.
The FIFA ranking drop underscores the difficult path Bafana Bafana faces in the upcoming World Cup. While the team has made progress under Broos, the low seeding highlights the need for strategic preparation and careful management to navigate a challenging tournament landscape.
