Bafana Bafana Plummets Again in FIFA World Rankings Ahead of World Cup Draw

Just days before the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals draw on 5 December, Bafana Bafana have suffered another setback in the FIFA World Rankings.

South Africa dropped from 59th to 61st this month, despite delivering an impressive performance in their friendly win over Zambia at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium last weekend.

This follows another decline the previous month, when Bafana fell from 55th to 59th, even after securing qualification for the 2026 World Cup.

Because Zambia were ranked 87th at the time of the friendly — and have now fallen to 90th — the match offered very few ranking points. Since Zambia did not qualify for the World Cup, the fixture was always likely to work against Bafana Bafana in the rankings.

This has left many South Africans questioning why the South African Football Association (SAFA) scheduled a friendly against such a low-ranked opponent, especially so close to the World Cup draw.

According to FIFA, ranking points are calculated based on the relative strength of the two teams, with the expectation that higher-ranked nations should perform better against lower-ranked sides.

With Bafana Bafana now down to 11th in Africa, the rankings drop increases the likelihood of being placed in a potential “group of death” at the upcoming World Cup draw.

South Africa could be drawn against global powerhouses such as Spain (world No. 1), Argentina, France, England, Brazil, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, or Croatia — all of whom sit inside the current top 10.