WORST RANK IN 10 YEARS FOR SIHLANGU

MBABANE – Sihlangu have dropped six places in the latest FIFA World Rankings released yesterday.

This is their worst ranking in 10 years, since being placed 164th back in 2014. According to the list released by the world football governing body, Sihlangu have also moved six steps back to be ranked 46th out of 54 countries in Africa. Morocco and Senegal maintained their lead as the best African teams, while Egypt and Ivory Coast climbed to third and fourth on the continent.

The significant drop came as a result of suffering defeats in the recently-ended 2026 International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) World Cup Qualifiers. Host Angola sealed a 1-0 victory against Sihlangu. Mauritius also secured a 2-1 win on June 7 and 11, respectively. The team was still led by former Gaffer Dominic Kunene, who has since been replaced with Sifiso ‘Nuro’ Ntibane.

Focus shifts to the Council of Southern African Football Associations (COSAFA) Cup to be played from June 26 to July 7 in Gqeberha, South Africa. With these games, Sihlangu has a chance of improving the rankings. Sihlangu’s opponents in the COSAFA Cup Group A are better-ranked, with South Africa at 59th; Mozambique 103rd; and Botswana at 145th.
Sihlangu’s highest ranking in history was 88th, while the lowest was 190th . Their average rank is 142. Their biggest climb was 38 places.

Ntibane and captain Kwakhe Thwala could not be drawn for comment, as their phones rang unanswered. Meanwhile, Argentina remained number one globally, with France and Belgium in second and third. Brazil leapfrogged England to fourth in the global rankings. The next Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) world ranking will be released on July 18, 2024. Rankings are essential for a football nation. Better-ranked countries usually avoid playing preliminary games in qualifiers.

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