With an average height of just 178.8cm, South Africa are officially second shortest of all 48 nations at the tournament.
Only Saudi Arabia, at 178.7cm, have a shorter average squad height than Bafana Bafana. At the opposite end of the scale, Norway and Bosnia and Herzegovina share top spot as the tallest national squads in the competition, with an average height of 187.2cm – more than eight centimetres taller than South Africa.
Sweden complete the top three at 186.2cm, followed by Belgium (185.8cm) and Czechia (185.7cm). European nations dominate the upper reaches of the list, with Germany, Switzerland, France and the Netherlands all featuring inside the top ten.
📏 Tallest Squads at the FIFA World Cup (Average Height in cm)
🇳🇴 Norway — 187.2 cm
🇧🇦 Bosnia & Herzegovina: 187.2cm
🇸🇪 Sweden — 186.2 cm
🇧🇪 Belgium — 185.8 cm
🇨🇿 Czechia — 185.7 cm
🇩🇪 Germany — 185.4 cm
🇨🇭 Switzerland — 185.2 cm
🇫🇷 France — 184.9 cm
🇳🇱 Netherlands — 184.9 cm
🇭🇷… pic.twitter.com/zPVzJ8Nmub— Infostrix (@Infostrixx) June 19, 2026
Africa’s nations are scattered across the rankings. Tunisia lead the continent in 12th place at 184.6cm, with Senegal (15th, 184.0cm) and Morocco (25th, 182.7cm) also placing inside the top half. Ghana, Algeria, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Cape Verde and DR Congo all sit in the bottom half of the table, while South Africa prop up the African contingent entirely.
The data offers an interesting subplot heading into South Africa’s must-win clash with South Korea, a side ranked 29th at 181.9cm – still nearly three centimetres taller on average than Bafana Bafana.
Photo: REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko
