Bafana Bafana handed 2027 backing as World Cup run drives rankings rise

Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos has been given the green light to stay in charge through to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations after guiding South Africa to their first-ever World Cup knockout stage and delivering a significant boost to the country’s global ranking.

The South African Football Association (SAFA) has offered Broos the option of extending his tenure to cover the next AFCON, to be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda in 2027.

His proposed continuation comes on the back of a landmark 2026 World Cup campaign in which Bafana advanced from the group phase for the first time and improved their standing both among the 48 finalists and in the FIFA rankings.

Historic World Cup progress for Bafana

Bafana’s journey at the 2026 tournament ended in the last 32, but their performance has been hailed as a breakthrough on the global stage.

They finished joint 25th overall – level with Ecuador – out of the 48 teams at the finals, despite being one of the lower-ranked nations heading into the competition.

South Africa recorded one win, one draw and two defeats at the World Cup. They beat South Korea, held Czechia to a draw, and lost to Mexico and Canada. Across those four matches they scored two goals and conceded four, ending with a goal difference of minus two.

All four of their opponents were ranked above them going into the tournament, underlining the scale of the task they faced.

Their last‐32 exit still came with a significant financial reward: Bafana earned USD 11m (approximately R181m) in prize money.

The only country ranked below South Africa that managed a better outcome at the World Cup was Ghana, who finished with a goal difference of minus one.

Rankings surge after World Cup exploits

Broos’ side arrived at the World Cup as one of the lowest-seeded teams in the field, but leave the tournament with a notably improved status.

Before the World Cup kicked off, and after the final list of qualified nations was confirmed, Bafana were placed 60th in the FIFA rankings.

Their 2-1 win over South Korea on 25 June triggered an initial rise to 54th, a position they held through the remainder of the tournament.

Among the 48 qualified teams, South Africa began the World Cup in 41st place, with only seven sides ranked below them. Following their World Cup campaign and the latest FIFA calculations, they have climbed to 37th out of the 48 participants, meaning 11 teams are now beneath them.

In the broader global picture, South Africa’s move to 54th has seen them leapfrog Iraq, Tunisia, Qatar and Uzbekistan. It is their highest ranking since Hugo Broos took charge.

The latest update also reflects FIFA’s revised system, under which the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking has been provisionally adjusted in real time since March 2026, rather than only being published after the conclusion of each set of international fixtures.

Global context of South Africa’s position

The most recent ranking list is headed by Spain, followed by Argentina, France and England. Other leading nations include Brazil, Morocco, Portugal, Netherlands and Belgium.

Among Africa’s representatives, Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Cote d’Ivoire and DR Congo all featured at the World Cup, alongside Ghana, Cape Verde and Algeria.

South Africa’s placing at 54 situates them above a number of other World Cup qualifiers and regular tournament participants, including Qatar (59), Tunisia (57), Uzbekistan (60) and Iraq (63), as well as New Zealand (86), Curacao (82), Haiti (88) and Jordan (73).

With AFCON 2027 on the horizon and a best‐ever World Cup run now on their record, SAFA’s move to keep Hugo Broos at the helm underlines a desire to build on the momentum and consolidate Bafana Bafana’s resurgence on the international stage.