Super Eagles Get Disappointing Position in Latest FIFA Ranking Despite Qualifying for World Cup Playoffs

Super Eagles Get Disappointing Position in Latest FIFA Ranking Despite Qualifying for World Cup Playoffs

Nomso Obiajuru
updated at April 12, 2023 at 7:52 PM
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  • Super Eagles of Nigeria remain in 36th position in the world and 5th in Africa in the latest Africa
  • The ranking comes after Nigeria booked their place in the World Cup playoffs after 1-1 draw with Cape Verde
  • Nigeria will be looking to make their seventh appearance in the biggest soccer fiesta set to be staged in Qatar

After qualifying for the final round of the World Cup qualifiers, the Super Eagles of Nigeria were unmoved in the latest FIFA ranking released on Friday, November 19.

According to the FIFA ranking and cited on Goal, Nigeria remain in the 36th position in the world and fifth in Africa.

Super Eagles pose for group picture before a game
Super Eagles pose for photo before a game. Photo: Emmanuel Osodi
Source: Original

Senegal remain the best-ranked Africa team as they sit in the 20th position in the world ahead of Morocco who occupy the 28th position in the world and second in Africa.

In the third position is Tunisia as they are ranked 29th in the world and 3rd in Africa.

Defending African champions Algeria are 32nd in the world and fourth in Africa while Nigeria come in at the fifth position to make up the top five teams in Africa.

The Super Eagles' status as the fifth best country in Africa ensured that they will be seeded for the draws of the African playoffs of the 2022 World Cup despite their 1-1 draw against Cape Verde.

The top five teams in Africa will be seeded and drawn against any of the other teams outside the top five in the continent.

The five winners of the two-legged game will qualify for the 2022 World Cup taking playing in Qatar.

The top three in the world remain unchanged with Belgium, Brazil and France occupying the positions respectively.

England moved up one place to fourth, same as Argentina who rose to fifth.

Euro 2020 champions Italy fell two places to sixth, while Spain and Portugal are unmoved in seventh and eighth respectively.

Denmark and Netherlands also moved up one place each to complete the top 10.

The 10 African nations that have qualified into the playoffs of the World Cup

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that ten African nations have qualified into the playoffs of the World Cup and would be drawn against each other to get the final five countries.

Algeria, Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Tunisia, and DR Congo made it through the second round of qualification.

The top five African sides will be seeded and a draw will be conducted in December to know the final pairings of teams.

Only one team made it out of the group phase as all the qualifying teams topped their respective groups.

The likes of Senegal, Algeria, Morocco, Mali, Egypt topped their groups without losing any of the six matches while other group leaders recorded on defeat respectively.

A two-legged clash will now decide the five African teams that would fly the continent's flag next year in Qatar.

Nigeria will be looking to make their seventh appearance in the biggest soccer fiesta after coming out tops in Group C.

The Super Eagles' first World Cup appearance was in the United States in 1994 then qualified for the 1998 edition in France, 2002, 2010, 2014 and 2018 respectively.

The World Cup qualifiers' third-round draw takes place on December 18.

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Nomso Obiajuru
Team Lead- Football
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