Nigeria Falls to 38th in FIFA Rankings

Nigeria’s Super Eagles has slipped to the 38th position in the latest FIFA rankings released on Thursday.

The Super Eagles now have 1498.93 points, a drop from their previous 1520.27 points.

This marks a significant shift as Nigeria struggles on the international stage.

“Nigeria’s decline is a wake-up call for the nation,” analysts noted, as the Super Eagles had previously been ranked 30th.

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This drop follows their performance in the two matches after the African Cup of Nations, where they were runners-up, losing 2-1 to the host nation.

Recently, the Super Eagles drew 1-1 against South Africa in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, and lost 2-1 to Benin Republic in Ivory Coast. These results have cast doubt on Nigeria’s hopes for the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers.

Meanwhile, Argentina remains at the pinnacle of the FIFA rankings, with a total of 1860.14 points after gaining 2.14 points.

This solidifies their status as the leading football nation globally, reflecting their consistent high-level performance in recent tournaments.

The rankings, as reported by The Explainer, use the Elo model, which considers team strength, match importance, and results.

Liberia emerged as the biggest climber, moving up 10 spots to 142nd, and scoring the most points with a gain of 37.47. Conversely, Equatorial Guinea experienced the biggest drop, falling 10 places and losing 47.53 points.

France and Belgium held onto their respective second and third spots. France continues to dominate with 1840.59 points despite a minor decrease of 3.12 points. Belgium stays steady in third place with 1795.23 points, marking a slight increase of 2.75 points.

Brazil has climbed to the 4th position, overtaking England with a rating of 1788.65 points, reflecting their strong recent performances. England slipped to 5th after losing 7.02 points, landing at 1794.9 points.

Portugal remains 6th despite a slight drop of 1.07 points, achieving a rating of 1748.11. Spain is 8th with 1727.5 points, an increase of 2.42 points. Croatia has moved up to 9th, gaining 7.23 points for a total of 1721.07. Italy completes the top ten, holding steady with a rating of 1724.6 points.

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Morocco is the highest-ranked African team at 12th, with Senegal at 18th. Egypt and Côte d’Ivoire are 3rd and 4th in Africa, ahead of Nigeria in 5th.

Tunisia and Algeria are 41st and 44th globally, while Cameroon and Mali rank 49th and 50th. South Africa is 50th, and Benin Republic is 91st.

As teams prepare for upcoming competitions, these rankings highlight the dynamic nature of international football.

Performance in the coming months will undoubtedly influence standings, adding to the anticipation of the sport.

The next FIFA rankings will be released on July 18, following the conclusion of UEFA EURO 2024 in Germany.