Bafana up 4 spots in FIFA rankings

Cape Town - South Africa have climbed four places to 72nd in the latest FIFA world rankings released on Wednesday.

However, Bafana Bafana remained 15th in Africa.

March saw a busy month in international football, with a total of 133 games played across the globe meaning plenty of changes in the latest rankings.

Stuart Baxter's side recently beat hosts Zambia to win the Four-Nations tournament last month.

The Four Nations win though comes as little compensation for Baxter's men since failing dismally to qualify for the 2018 Soccer World Cup in Russia, Bafana made the move as the rankings are calculated over a rolling four-year period.

It's a far cry from the glory days when Bafana cracked the top 20 in the rankings (at 19th) after winning the 1996 African Cup of Nations.

Four of the top five African ranked teams have qualified for Russia 2018 with Tunisia retaining their top spot, followed by Senegal, DR Congo, Morocco and Egypt.

DR Congo, ranked third in Africa and 38th in the world, will not be in Russia.

Nigeria, currently sixth in Africa and 47th in the world, are the fifth and final African team to have qualified for the June/July spectacle.

The Top 5 in the rankings changed slightly as Belgium moved up two places into third position. World Cup holders Germany remain in top spot, followed by Brazil, Belgium, Portugal and Argentina.

The next FIFA world rankings will be published on May 17, 2018.

Top 20 in the latest FIFA rankings:

1. Germany

2. Brazil

3. Belgium

4. Portugal

5. Argentina

6. Switzerland

7. France

8. Spain

9. Chile

10. Poland