Nigeria Move Up in Latest FIFA Rankings, Now 4th in Africa Ahead of AFCON Winners Ivory Coast

Nigeria Move Up in Latest FIFA Rankings, Now 4th in Africa Ahead of AFCON Winners Ivory Coast

  • The Super Eagles of Nigeria have jumped up three places in the latest FIFA rankings released
  • Nigeria are now ranked fourth amongst African countries, only behind Morocco, Egypt and Senegal
  • They are ranked above Ivory Coast, which beat them in the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations

The Super Eagles of Nigeria have moved up three places in the latest rankings released by the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA).

Nigeria have had an impressive year on the international stage, reaching the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, which they lost to the host country Ivory Coast.

Moses Simon, Victor Osimhen, Alhassan Yusuf, William Troost-Ekong, Super Eagles, Nigeria, AFCON 2023 final, Ivory Coast.
Super Eagles stars during Nigeria's AFCON 2023 final loss to Ivory Coast. Photo by MB Media.
Source: Getty Images

The Eagles are on the verge of qualifying for the next edition, the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, scheduled for December 2025 to January 2026 in Morocco.

Nigeria gain in FIFA rankings

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According to the latest rankings released by FIFA this morning, October 24, 2024, the Super Eagles moved up three places from 39 and are now ranked 36th in the world.

They are ranked fourth in Africa behind World Cup semi-finalists Morocco, record AFCON winners Egypt and one-time AFCON winners Senegal.

Nigeria are 11 spots above Ivory Coast, the country that denied them AFCON 2023 glory after the winners dropped seven places in the latest FIFA rankings to 47th in the world and sixth in Africa.

The Eagles' opponents for the botched AFCON 2025 qualifier match, the Mediterranean Knights of Libya, are ranked 122nd in the world and 34th in Africa.

As noted by Transfermarkt, the Nigerian national team have played 15 matches so far in 2024, winning eight, drawing three, and losing four, scoring 15 goals and conceding 12.

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They are scheduled to face Rwanda and Benin Republic in the AFCON 2025 qualifier in November, with two more rankings in November and December left.

West African countries back Nigeria

Legit.ng reported that two West African countries backed Nigeria as they requested CAF to hand them a walkover in their airport hostage case against Libya.

Senegal and Cameroon supported the NFF's case, claiming the host's inhumane treatment forced the Super Eagles to walk away from playing the match.

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Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Elijah Odetokun avatar

Elijah Odetokun (Sports Editor) Elijah Odetokun is a Nigerian sports editor at Legit NG. He has four years of working experience having previously worked at Daily Times Nigeria (August 2020 - September 2020), OmaSports (December 2020 - June 2021), El Futbolero (July 2021; September 2021- November 2021), and Sports Brief (November 2022 - July 2024). He is a press conference and interview specialist and has attended trainings held by Reuters, AIPS, and FIJ. He holds a Bachelor of Agriculture (2021) from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. Reach me via elijah.odetokun@sportsbrief.com