The Super Eagles slipped five spots in the most recent FIFA rankings to take 40th place.
The national squad is now Africa’s sixth-best team, after Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, Algeria, and Egypt, according to FIFA announcement.
FIFA last announced the ranking for men on December 22, 2022 with the Eagles finishing the year in the 35th position after losing one step.
The new version (of ranking) developed by FIFA named “SUM” relies on adding/subtracting points won or lost for a game to/from the previous point totals rather than averaging game points over a given time as in the previous version of the World Ranking.
The points which are added or subtracted are partially determined by the relative strength of the two opponents, including the logical expectation that teams higher in the rankings should fare better against teams lower in the rankings.
These wins and matches will have an impact on the latest FIFA World Rankings.
The new system also saw the Eagles drop further in Africa as they currently occupy sixth position.
However, Morocco, who made it to the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup, remains in the 11th spot globally, despite their win against Brazil. Brazil, on the other hand, has dropped to third place in the rankings, displaced from the top spot by the World Cup champions, Argentina.
France has climbed to second place after securing two victories against Netherlands and Ireland in the last round of EUROS qualifiers. Belgium, England, Netherlands, Croatia, Italy, Portugal, and Spain complete the top 10s.
The Super Eagles’ shock home defeat to lowly placed Guinea Bissau in Abuja contributed to the fall of the team and would have to get back to winning ways in the other fixtures to regain their status as one of Africa’s best.
The Central African Republic were the biggest mover in the latest rankings, jumping 10 places to 122nd.
