Super Eagles maintain 31st position in latest FIFA ranking

The Super Eagles of Nigeria have maintained 31st position in the world in the August FIFA ranking.

According to the ranking table published on FIFA’s website on Thursday, Super Eagles maintained the 1,504.7 garnered points in July.

On the continental level, they are still placed fourth behind Senegal (18), Morocco (23), and Tunisia (30).

On the global scene, with five major tournaments in different parts of the world, international women‘s football has hogged the headlines in recent months.

Fifty-eight international fixtures were played in the men‘s game, mostly in Africa and Asia, hence changes in the August edition of the FIFA World Ranking are few and far between.

Two countries, Mauritania (107th, plus 3) and Botswana (146th, plus 3), have been posting good results, as reflected by a climb of three places each in the standings.

The progress makes them jointly the two most-improved sides in terms of places.

In the top 50, almost nothing has changed from the previous edition, Brazil (1st), Belgium (2nd), and Argentina (3rd) still occupy the podium places, while their immediate followers remain in the same order they were in June.

Only Iran (22nd, plus 1) and FIFA World Cup hosts Qatar (48th, plus 1) move up one place apiece.

Outside the Top 100 in addition to the aforementioned African duo, Mozambique (116th, plus 2) and Angola (120th, plus 2) also made up ground among CAF sides, as did Bermuda (168th, plus 2) in Concacaf.

With a raft of international games to come in September in particular, there is expected to be more movement in the next edition.

The Star