Bafana Bafana: What Their FIFA Ranking Drop Means Ahead of World Cup Draw

South Africa's path in the upcoming World Cup draw has been clarified following the release of the latest FIFA rankings, which will determine the seeding pots for the event on Friday, December 5, in Washington, D.C.

Despite a recent 3-1 victory over Zambia, Hugo Broos's squad did not climb the global ladder. Instead, Bafana Bafana have slipped two places from 59th to 61st, a drop that also sees them fall out of the top 10 teams in Africa.

The Democratic Republic of Congo, fresh off their CAF Play-Off success, have leapfrogged South Africa to enter the continent's top ten. This slide means Bafana Bafana will be placed among the lowest-seeded teams in Pot 4 for the draw.

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Currently, only four qualified nations from outside of Africa are ranked lower than South Africa: Jordan (66th), Curacao (82nd), Haiti (85th), and New Zealand (86th).

Within CAF, Cape Verde (68th) and Ghana (72nd) are also ranked below Bafana, but teams from the same confederation will not be drawn into the same group, with the exception of UEFA.

A total of 42 out of 48 participating nations have been confirmed. The final six spots will be decided through UEFA (4) and inter-continental play-offs (2) in March.

FIFA has yet to announce how the winners of these play-offs, which could include European giants like Italy (ranked 12th), will be seeded.

There is a slim chance for Bafana Bafana to move up, as Hugo Broos has confirmed that they will not play any more matches ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations.

"No, we will play one game [against Zambia]. I don't like to play two or three games before we go," Hugo Broos stated.

"We have played enough against African teams, so we don't need to face another one as if we are unfamiliar with African football."

According to the Kick Off, if FIFA decides to place all six play-off winners directly into Pot 4, South Africa could potentially be elevated to the final spot in Pot 3.

However, as it stands, they are guaranteed to be among the 12 lowest-ranked qualifiers, setting up a challenging group stage draw.

A look at other confederations highlights the tough road ahead. All six qualified teams from South America's CONMEBOL, Argentina (2nd), Brazil (5th), Colombia (13th), Uruguay (16th), Ecuador (23rd), and Paraguay (39th), are ranked significantly higher.

Similarly, the qualified European nations are all powerhouses, including Spain (1st), France (3rd), England (4th), and Germany (9th).

From Asia, only Jordan (66th) is ranked below Bafana among the confirmed teams, while in the CONCACAF region, Curacao and Haiti are ranked lower.