Bafana Bafana move into FIFA’s top 50 after Egypt victory

Elikplim Bokor October 05, 2026

Pitso Mosimane’s Bafana Bafana have climbed into the provisional FIFA top 50 after completing a third successive victory during the current international window.

South Africa beat Egypt 1-0 in an international friendly on Sunday, following earlier wins over Guinea and Eritrea that brought them maximum points from the opening matches of their 2027 AFCON qualifying campaign.

The result has moved Bafana up to 48th in the provisional rankings, although their position could still change before the final standings are confirmed.

Venezuela could overtake South Africa and send them back to 49th if they beat Jordan on Tuesday. The official FIFA rankings will be published on Wednesday, once all matches during the current FIFA dates have been completed.

For now, the victory has taken Bafana into the top 50 for the first time in the current rankings cycle and lifted them to their highest position since October 2011.

Bafana began the current FIFA rankings in 54th place and now have 1468,88 points. Their win against the highly ranked Egypt earned them 6,22 ranking points.

The victory also maintained Mosimane’s unbeaten record against Egypt as Bafana coach. He has faced the Pharaohs twice, with both meetings coming during his first spell in charge 15 years ago.

Mosimane’s latest success comes after South Africa made a strong start to the 2027 AFCON qualifiers, collecting six points against Guinea and Eritrea before defeating Egypt in Cairo.

The rise also highlights the progress made since Hugo Broos took charge in May 2021, when Bafana were ranked 75th.

Broos eventually left the team in 54th position after guiding South Africa to the World Cup knockout stages for the first time. During his tenure, Bafana also finished in a medal position at the 2023 AFCON finals, their first such finish since 2000.

Sunday’s result therefore gave Mosimane a third consecutive win during the international period while also delivering a significant provisional ranking improvement for South Africa.