South Africa climb to 49th in FIFA rankings after Eritrea victory

South Africa have moved up five places to 49th in the provisional FIFA rankings after their emphatic 5-0 win over Eritrea on Wednesday.

Bafana Bafana began the international window in 54th position, but victories against Guinea and Eritrea have lifted Pitso Mosimane’s team above Czechia and back into the world’s top 50.

The latest ranking is significant for Mosimane, who was also in charge when South Africa last occupied 49th place in October 2011, during his first spell as head coach.

FIFA’s live rankings remain unofficial until the relevant fixtures have been approved as international A matches. The next official ranking update is due on October 7.

South Africa followed their 2-1 success against Guinea with an assured display against Eritrea in Cairo. Relebohile Mofokeng scored twice, while Luther Singh, Sphephelo Sithole and Iqraam Rayners were also on target.

The result gave Bafana a second consecutive victory since Mosimane’s return and provided them with six points from their opening two matches in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.

Mosimane said he was satisfied with the result, although he acknowledged that Eritrea had caused problems at the start of the match.

“We’re happy with five goals, we’re happy with three points, Eritrea started good, started strong, had a chance, hit the crossbar, and their number 10, Ali, was very dangerous, he scores a lot of goals here in Egypt,” Mosimane said.

“He’s very important to look after and yeah, we saw Eritrea play against Kenya, they were leading and Kenya equalised late, so we had to give them the respect they deserve, I am happy we won, which is most important, two games, six points and some goals.

“Good performance from our boys, they showed respect also – they showed respect to opponents and played proper football, but yeah, Alhamdulillah, we won the match and we’re happy.”

The six points have been accompanied by a strong goals return, giving South Africa an encouraging start to their qualifying campaign as their position in the FIFA rankings also improves.

Bafana’s next match will take place in Egypt, where they are scheduled to play the hosts in an international friendly at Cairo International Stadium.

The rise to 49th therefore represents both a current ranking gain for South Africa and a personal milestone for Mosimane, who last guided the team to that position almost 15 years ago.