Despite a strong win in their last 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers match, Nigeria slipped one place in the latest FIFA men’s rankings for June. In the previous June rankings, they were 39th, but they dropped to 40th, losing three points.
In their final AFCON qualifiers game, the Super Eagles defeated Sao Tome and Principe 6-0, but this victory did not improve their FIFA ranking.
Despite this dip in the global rankings, Nigeria emerged as the top team in Group A of the AFCON qualifiers, earning an impressive 15 points and securing a spot in the upcoming AFCON tournament in Ivory Coast.
On the African continent, Nigeria remains among the top six teams, a significant advantage as it guarantees them a place as top seeds in the AFCON draw scheduled for later in 2023.
PUNCH Sport Extra reports, Morocco retains its position as Africa’s top-ranked nation, sitting 13th in the world rankings. Senegal, despite dropping two places globally, maintains its second position in Africa. Tunisia is the only African country among the top six on the continent to move up in the global rankings, rising from 31st to 29th in the world.
Algeria (34) and Egypt (35) round out the top five African teams.
Globally, Argentina, the World Cup winners, continue to hold the top spot in the FIFA rankings, followed by France, Brazil, England, and Belgium.