The Super Eagles of Nigeria have dropped five places from 35th to 40th in the world according to the latest FIFA rankings.
The world football governing body released the rankings on Thursday, April 6th, 2023, indicating that the three-time African champions also moved one step backward from 5th to 6th on the continent.
This is the lowest spot on the ranking the team has occupied since June 2019 when the Eagles ranked 45th in the world.
The Eagles’ decline on the log can be attributed to their disappointing home loss to Guinea-Bissau in the first leg of the Group A clash of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers.
The Djurtus were ranked 118th in the world before the match, and although Nigeria defeated the Bissau-Guinean in the second leg, the initial victory proved good enough to spring them to 113th in the latest global ranking.
Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia retained their positions as the top three teams in Africa, while Algeria and Egypt punched above to complete the top five on the continent.
Meanwhile, Argentina returned to the summit of the ranking for the first time in over six years. The world champions succeeded Brazil, which slumped to third, while France came in second place. Belgium and England wrapped the top global top five.
The next rankings will be published on July 20, 2023.
