Super Eagles move to 36 in latest FIFA ranking

The Super Eagles of Nigeria have moved up by three spots to place world 36th in the October 2024 FIFA ranking.

In the ranking table published on the FIFA website on Thursday, the Super Eagles garnered 1503.29 points within the period under review.

The team defeated their Libyan counterparts in the first leg match of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers by a lone goal in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on October 11.

The movement also reflected positively on the team’s continental position to be ranked fourth behind Morocco, Senegal, and Egypt instead of the sixth spot they occupied in September.

On the global scene, 32 qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026, 47 for AFCON 2025, 79 Nations League matches, and 17 friendlies were played during the recent international window.

This made October a particularly busy month of football and one that has led to a number of changes in the FIFA ranking.

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The top three teams are also bunching up, Argentina (1st) are still on top, but their lead over France (2nd) and Spain (3rd) has been cut. England (4th), Brazil (5th), and Belgium (6th) have all held onto their positions.

Portugal (7th, up one) and Italy (9th, up one) are the only climbers within the top 10, which is completed by the Netherlands (8th, down one) and Colombia (10th, down one), with Germany (11th, up two) now knocking on the door.

Elsewhere, Algeria (37th, up four), Peru (38th, up five), and Greece (42nd, up six) have all made moves worthy of note, and Cameroon (49th, up four) have returned to the top 50.

Other African teams to have made significant progress in the ranking include Equatorial Guinea (88th, up six) and Zimbabwe (117th, up seven)

The Gambia (128th, up seven) and Botswana (140th, up seven), the last of whom, the Zebras, have posted the biggest jump overall in terms of points gained (up 38.30 points).

The Star