South African soccer is on its path to a golden age as Bafana Bafana participate in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AfCON) and the 2026 Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) World Cup after a long unfortunate spell of failures and disappointments. Both men’s and women’s football teams are toughening up winning silver ware in their wake and the Premier Soccer League (PSL) race tightening up, the country is gearing up for excitement about local soccer right now. The progress South Africa has made since the 2025 AFCON and the 2010 World Cup is staggering to behold. South Africa has always been a tough competitor on the football world stage.
Kaizer Chiefs feature in the latest CAF club rankings, where Mamelodi Sundowns remain South Africa’s standout story after securing second place for 2025. Orlando Pirates, despite last season’s semi-final run, slipped outside the elite bracket into 15th, while Amakhosi sit all the way down in 50th after a quiet few years in Africa.
- Al Ahly FC (Egypt) – 78 points
- Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) – 62 points
- Espérance Sportive de Tunis (Tunisia) – 57 points
- RS Berkane (Morocco) – 52 points
- Simba SC (Tanzania) – 48 points
- Pyramids FC (Egypt) – 47 points
- Zamalek SC (Egypt) – 42 points
- Wydad AC (Morocco) – 39 points
- USM Alger (Algeria) – 37 points
- CR Belouizdad (Algeria) – 36 points.
5th – Orlando Pirates (South Africa)
21st – Stellenbosch FC (South Africa)
31st – Marumo Gallants (South Africa)
50th – Kaizer Chiefs (South Africa).
South Africa is proving itself to be a tough nut to crack with a winning streak. Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) at 62 points still has quite a few more to gain if it can compete against Al Ahly FC (Egypt). Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates as well as Kaizer Chiefs players have a long and steep flight of steps to climb if they want to compete in the Fifa World Cup next year. This is going to be a long and gruelling path to follow for the South African National football team as a whole that has to be chosen from the top South African football clubs. The South African Football Association (SAFA) is at the heart of selecting and managing the South African National Football team. Its decisions will reflect the competitiveness of the nation and its football players and how the selected team will compete for the country.
Article written by:
Yacoob Cassim
Journalist at Radio Al Ansaar
