Super Eagles fall in FIFA rankings, may face difficult Nations Cup draw
Nigeria now ranked 34th in the world and 5th in Africa
Nigeria’s Super Eagles have fallen five places in the latest FIFA rankings to now sit in 34th place in the world and 5th place in Africa behind Senegal, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. Continental title winners Italy, Argentina and the USA all saw their sides climb up in the rankings.
The Super Eagles lost two and drew one of their last three matches, losing 1-0 to Cameroon in Austria before a 0-0 draw against the same opponents days later. Nigeria then presented a team composed mainly of home-based players for a friendly against the Mexican national team ahead of the Mexicans’ Gold Cup campaign. Nigeria lost the match 4-0 in Los Angeles, but it was revealed that the result of the match did not have an impact on both teams’ FIFA rankings. Mexico went on to reach the final of the Gold Cup before losing to the USA and are ranked 9th in the world currently. Nigeria’s ranking climbed well in the last rankings released by FIFA, but the Super Eagles’ performance since then has seen them drop.
Euro 2020 champions Italy climbed two places to reach 5th, their highest ranking since 2013. Copa America champions Argentina also climbed two places to reach 6th in the rankings. Gold Cup and CONCACAF Nations League champions USA climbed ten places to now sit in 10th in the rankings. Belgium remains in 1st place with Brazil second, France third and England fourth. Spain and Portugal occupy the seventh and eighth positions, respectively.
In Africa, Senegal remains in the first place and 21st in the world. In second place lies Tunisia, ranked 28th in the world. Tunisia is closely followed by Algeria, ranked 30th in the world. Morocco climbed nine places to reach 32nd place in the world and is ranked in 4th in Africa. Nigeria completes Africa’s top five and is ranked 34th in the world. Seedings for the draws for next year’s African Cup of Nations are dependent upon the ranking of each team ahead of the tournament. The Super Eagles of Nigeria are in Pot 1, but if their ranking fails to improve, they may find themselves out of Pot 1, facing a potentially difficult group campaign at the tournament.
