Poor ranking haunts Zebras

Zebras have been on downward spiral since their participation at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals, slipping to 125 in the World and 36th in Africa. At the start of 2012 they were ranked above the likes of Zimbabwe but now find themselves having to sweat for a place in the quarterfinals of the regional competition. The last time they won a competitive match was against Chad in 2011 in a match that confirmed their qualification for the 2012 AFCON finals. 

The top six ranked sides in the region; South Africa, Angola, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia enter the competition at the knockout stage while other teams will have to first play in the group stages.The lowest ranked sides, according to the April FIFA World rankings, were pooled into two groups of four sides each.