FIFA rankings: Nigeria drop a spot on the globe, now 5th in Africa

Super Eagles of Nigeria have dropped one spot from 35 to 36 in the latest rankings released by FIFA.

According to the list released on Thursday, the three-time African champions also dropped from 4th to 5th in the continent.

Despite the drop in the ranking, Nigeria maintained their 1474 total points on the table.

NEW #FIFARANKING

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🇧🇪 Belgium lead unchanged top 10 🔝
🌍 CHAN success propels Mali & Morocco 📈

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Of the four matches played by Gernot Rohr’s side in 2020, the Eagles drew three and lost one.

Senegal, Tunisia and Algeria occupy the 1st, 2nd and 3rd spots respectively in Africa.

Benin Republic and Lesotho, both Eagles next opponents at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers in March, are ranked 82 and 143 respectively.

“In the first FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking of 2021, a total of 43 full internationals (including one played in December 2020) were taken into account. The standout tournament in recent weeks has been the African Nations Championship (CHAN), where a total of 32 games took place,” FIFA wrote in a statement 

“These fixtures as well as the other 11 games played have been classified as friendlies, because only players competing in the national championships of the participating countries are eligible to take part in the CHAN.”

There’s no change in the first top ten in this month’s rankings.

Ten top ranked nations: Belgium (1), France (2), Brazil (3), England (4), Portugal (5), Spain (6), Argentina (7), Uruguay (8), Mexico (9), Italy (10).

The next FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking will be published on April 8, 2021.