FIFA RANKING
Nigeria drops in FIFA ranking
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Harvest of goals in their last Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match did not impact on the Super Eagles’ FIFA ranking as they dropped to 40 from their previous 39 in the world and are sixth in Africa.
Nigeria beat Sao Tome & Principe 6-0 in Uyo earlier this month to get a 16-0 aggregate win. But Sao Tome & Principe, at 188th globally is the least ranked of the 50 African teams.
It also means that the Super Eagles may be out of the seeded six teams for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations draw if FIFA ranking is used as the determinant.
Though sixth, Nigeria may lose ranking rights to hosts, Cote d’Ivoire who are number nine in Africa and 52nd in the world.
While Nigeria remain static at number six in Africa, Morocco hold on to their number one position ahead of Senegal. The third ranked African team is Tunisia, followed by Algeria and Egypt.
Globally, Argentina hold on tenaciously to their number one position following their 1-0 triumph over Ecuador and a 3-0 away success against Bolivia in their opening CONMEBOL FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers.
Second place France lose some ground after suffering a 2-1 friendly defeat at the hands of Germany.
Meanwhile, Brazil at number three, England (4th) and Belgium (5th) retain their places in a top five that remains unchanged from the July 2023 edition of the global ranking.
- The intro and headline are updated to reflect the latest ranking
Cote d’ivoire have overtaken the Nigeria Super Eagles in the current ranking released by FIFA on Thursday morning. Nigeria dropped from 38 to 39th position and ranks fifth position. There has been a steady drop in the team’s ranking lately following dismal post Afcon 2023 performances.
Most appalling is the fact that the team has not won any World Cup qualifying match since their 2-0 defeat of Liberia on 13 November 2021.
They have since gone seven matches without winning any. In contrast, Morocco continues to hold on tenaciously to the first position in the continent.
Overall, Argentina bounced into the first position in the world after their last weekend’s triumph in the Copa America. Newly crowned European champions Spain rose to third position.
The dismal performances of the Nigeria national team, Super Eagles have reflected in the current FIFA ranking released this Thursday.
Nigeria dropped eight steps down the ladder from 30th position to 38th. They are also fifth in the continent as Morocco and Senegal hold on tenaciously to the top two positions.
The two World Cup qualifying matches against South Africa and Benin Republic which the Super Eagles bungled may have been responsible for the big plunge.
The 2-0 loss to Mali last week in Morocco may have caused the Super Eagles to drop from last month’s 28th position to 30th as the latest FIFA ranking was released Thursday morning.
But despite the drop in global ranking, the Super Eagles are still third in Africa behind Morocco and Senegal.
The Nigeria versus Mali match was just one of the 174 games at the last international window. Nigeria played two matches, one of which Nigeria won one, a 2-1 defeat of their traditional rivals, the Black Stars of Ghana.
According to a press release by FIFA, the matches, played all over the world had a significant effect on the current World Ranking, most notably within the top ten.
Argentina (1st) continue to lead the way ahead of France (2nd), but Belgium (3rd, up 1) have returned to the podium at the expense of England (4th, down 1). Brazil (5th) complete the top five, but Portugal (6th, up 1) are now knocking on the door. The Netherlands (7th, down 1) have slipped one place, whereas Spain (8th), Italy (9th) and Croatia (10th) have all held on to their positions.
The USA (11th, up 2), Colombia (12th, up 2), Ukraine (22nd, up 2) and Poland (28th, up 2) have all made progress up the ranking, as have Czechia (36th, up 4), Palestine (93rd, up 4) and Kyrgyz Republic (100th, up 4), all of whom have taken the biggest strides among the top 100 teams.
It is outside of the top 100, however, that the biggest movers are to be found. Libya (114th, up 6) and Afghanistan (151st, up 7) have made impressive progress, but it is Indonesia (134th, up 8) who are the biggest climbers on the back of their two victories over Vietnam during FIFA World Cup 26 qualifiers.
Finally, the performances of Qatar (34th, up 3) and Comoros (117th, up 4) are also worthy of mention as both teams are now currently in their highest-ever position in the ranking.
NFF Communication director unfolds 20 Points of a 20-hour ordeal on Libyan soil
African football legends, Adebayor and Aubameyang condemn Libya’s treatment of Super Eagles
BREAKING! CAF wades into the Libya-Nigeria Airport episode
Breaking! Uzoho suspended from Super Eagles’ next match with Sierra Leone
No longer Super League as CAF changes name of its new clubs competition
AIU releases its report on Tobi Amusan
-
Uncategorized1 week ago
Players boycott Libyan national team
-
AFCON5 days ago
Billiat’s penalty seals Zimbabwe’s 1-0 win over Namibia
-
AFCON1 week ago
Facts & Figures as AFCON 2025 qualifiers enter Matchday 3
-
AFCON7 days ago
AFCON 2025 in Morocco: Everything you need to know
-
AFCON6 days ago
Libya’s captain, Faisal Al-Badri alleges poor treatment in Nigeria
-
Uncategorized1 week ago
CAF compels Kwasi Appiah to step down from Ghana FA
-
Uncategorized1 week ago
Fastest World Cup final scorer is dead!
-
AFCON1 day ago
BREAKING! CAF wades into the Libya-Nigeria Airport episode