Bafana drop to lowest ranking in 5 years

Cape Town - Bafana Bafana dropped seven places to the 81st in the latest FIFA world rankings after a disappointing 2018 Soccer World Cup qualifying campaign which saw them drop to their lowest ranking since 2012.

Long gone are the days when South Africa boasted the strongest team in Africa when Bafana Bafana were once ranked 16th in the world in 1996 after winning the African Cup of Nations.

Recent back-to-back defeats to Senegal - who leapfrogged Tunisia and Egypt to be Africa's highest ranked team at 23rd - saw Stuart Baxter's men suffer a significant drop in the official FIFA world rankings.

Bafana Bafana are now ranked as the 18th best team in Africa with Senegal, Tunisia, Egypt, Congo DR and Morocco making up the top five African nations.

The Lions of Teranga have risen to their highest ever position on the global ladder on the back of securing a first World Cup place since 2002.

The ranking’s overall top five - Germany, Brazil, Portugal, Argentina and Belgium - all maintained their positions from the October's edition.

Top 10 in the latest FIFA world rankings:

1. Germany

2. Brazil

3. Portugal

4. Argentina

5. Belgium

6. Spain

7. Poland

8. Switzerland

9. France

10. Chile

Also:

81. South Africa

Top 10 in the latest CAF rankings:

1. Senegal

2. Tunisia

3. Egypt

4. DR Congo

5. Morocco

6. Burkina Faso

7. Cameroon

8. Nigeria

9. Ghana

10. Cote D'Ivoire

Also

18. South Africa

NEW #FIFARANKING

????Germany remain top, ????Senegal soar, ????Swiss back into top ??

More info ???? https://t.co/0hhoftJ1nK pic.twitter.com/lIHAKgdTgS

— FIFA.com (@FIFAcom) November 23, 2017