South Africa have slipped one place to number 65 in the latest FIFA World Rankings released on Thursday.
Bafana Bafana remain the 12th best side on the continent according to the list‚ something new coach Stuart Baxter will be keen to improve on in the coming months.
Nigeria‚ who Bafana will face in their opening match of the 2019 African Nations Cup qualifiers in Uyo on June 10‚ have risen two places to number 38 in the world‚ and are fourth on the African list.
Their other opponents in the pool are Libya (92nd in the world‚ 22 in Africa) and minnows Seychelles (194‚ 51).
It was also another bad month for Bafana’s next World Cup qualification opponents as Cape Verde Islands slipped to number 84 on the global list and 18th in Africa.
They had topped the African rankings in March 2015‚ but have been in freefall since.
Also in that World Cup qualification pool are Senegal‚ the second best team in Africa and number 27 in the world‚ and Burkina Faso (41‚ 7).
Egypt continued to top the African list‚ followed by Senegal‚ Cameroon‚ Nigeria and DR Congo.
There has been no change at the top of the global list as Brazil remain the top team‚ followed by Argentina‚ world champions Germany‚ Chile and Colombia. France‚ Belgium‚ Portugal‚ Switzerland and Spain round out the top 10.
- TMG Digital/TMG Sport
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