Zambia has soared in the Fifa rankings after winning the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), and Germany climbed to second behind World Cup winners and European champions Spain.
Bafana slip further down
Bafana Bafana have continued their downward spiral in the Fifa world rankings, dropping another two places when the latest list was released on Wednesday.
Having missed out on qualification for the Afcon, which was concluded at the weekend, the South Africans also fell two positions to 10th among African countries.
It is the national team’s worst overall ranking since September 2010.
Zambia rose 28 places to number 43, becoming the continent’s fourth-ranked nation after starting the Africa Cup in 16th place.
Mali and Gabon, surprise semifinalists, also soared up the list.
Co-hosts Gabon rise remarkably
The Malians rose 25 positions to 44th — fifth in Africa — and the Gabonese, the highest climbers, jumped 46 places to 45th, lifting themselves to sixth in Africa.
Côte di’Ivoire, which narrowly lost Sunday’s final in a hotly contested penalty shootout, is the highest African nation at number 15.
Egypt plummeted 25 places to number 61. The three-time defending African champions failed to qualify for the tournament.
Germany moved up one, dropping the 2010 World Cup runners up — The Netherlands — to third. South American champions Uruguay sat at fourth, followed by manager-less England.
Portugal rises to number six, dropping Brazil to seventh. Denmark relegates Argentina a spot to number 11. — Sapa-AP