Bafana drop in latest FIFA rankings

Cape Town - South Africa have dropped two places to 74th in the latest FIFA world rankings released on Thursday.

Bafana Bafana remained 15th in Africa.

The recent flurry of pre-2018 Soccer World Cup friendly matches has left its mark on the latest FIFA world rankings.

Stuart Baxter's Bafana side were recently embarrassingly beaten by minnows Madagascar on penalties to crash out of the 2018 COSAFA Cup.

This is yet another setback for Baxter's men since failing dismally to qualify for the 2018 Soccer World Cup in Russia, with the rankings 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 seventh in Africa and 48th in the world, are the fifth and final African team to have qualified for the June/July spectacle.

The Top 5 in the rankings remain largely the same with Belgium having recently 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 July 19, 2018.

Top 20 in the latest FIFA rankings:

1. Germany

2. Brazil

3. Belgium

4. Portugal

5. Argentina

6. Switzerland

7. France

8. Poland

9. Chile

10. Spain