Super Eagles’ move from 42nd in the world to 28th in the latest FIFA rankings has seen them record their best leap since 2013, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Nigeria moved 14 places in the world and are now third in Africa, moving three places up from their previous sixth position.
This is the Super Eagles’ highest tally since May 2013, when the Eagles were also ranked 28th in the world. A few days after winning the AFCON in 2013, they were ranked 30th before moving up two places in May.
Although they didn’t win the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations like they did in 2013, Nigeria’s latest rise is not unconnected to their performance at the tournament in Ivory Coast where they settled for silver, no thanks to a 2-1 defeat against the hosts in the final.
The final was Jose Peseiro’s only loss in the tournament as they went through the group stages and the knockout stages unbeaten.
AFCON winners, Ivory Coast also moved ten places from 49th in the world to 39th as the fourth-best team in Africa while Morocco (12th) and Senegal (17th) maintained their lead as the best African teams despite a disappointing AFCON. Egypt are fifth on the continent and 36th in the world.
Based on their 2023 AFCON performances as well, bronze medallists South Africa rose by eight slots to 58th, Equatorial Guinea got boosted by nine spots to 74th while Angola moved up 24 places to 94th from 118th.
Also, Asian Cup winners Qatar leaped from 37th to 21st after capitalising on home comforts to successfully defend their continental crown.
Meanwhile, there were no changes in the top 10 in the world as Argentina remained number one while France and Brazil maintained second and third spots, respectively. England and Belgium took the fourth and fifth positions in the rankings.
The next FIFA world ranking will be released April 4, after the next FIFA international break.
With the friendly against Argentina in doubt, Nigeria are expected to announce a new opponent for the March window before returning for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in June.