The Nigeria Super Falcons have surged up the latest FIFA ranking by an impressive eight places, moving up from 40th to 32nd.
Following the conclusion of the Women’s World Cup, football’s governing body released its latest ranking of all female national teams, and it makes for good reading for the Nigeria Super Falcons.
Nigeria remains the highest-ranked African side, 13 places clear of South Africa and twice as many in front of Morocco, all of whom reached the knockout stages of the recently concluded World Cup.
After heading to the global tournament on a run of seven defeats from their last 10 matches, the Nigeria Super Falcons have turned a corner and will look to push on from their exploits in Australia.
Why Nigeria Super Falcons jumped to 32nd in FIFA Ranking
The Nigeria Super Falcons were drawn in Group D of the World Cup alongside host nation Australia, Canada and Ireland.
Randy Waldrum’s side knew the size of the task that lay in front of them, and they kicked off their campaign with a goalless draw against Canada before upsetting the odds by defeating Australia 3-2.
With qualification for the round of 16 all but guaranteed, Nigeria played out another goalless draw versus Ireland in their final group encounter.
They were then handed a daunting task against European champions England, but the Nigeria Super Falcons more than held their own, albeit in defeat.
Nigeria took England all the way to a penalty shootout but ultimately could not hold their nerve from 12 yards.
Despite seeing their World Cup journey end in disappointing fashion, the Nigeria Super Falcons enjoyed an impressive tournament overall, and it was no surprise to see their performances rewarded with a surge up the FIFA ranking.
What next for the Nigeria Super Falcons?
After such a good showing on the biggest stage, the future looks bright for the Nigeria Super Falcons, especially given the fact that most of the players are yet to hit their prime years.
Rasheedat Ajibade, Chiamaka Nnadozie, Blessing Demehin and Deborah Abiodun are all under the age of 25 and were all starters at the World Cup.
All of the above-mentioned names are expected to be key for the Nigeria Super Falcons when they face off against Sao Tome and Principe for a place in the 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Having relinquished their continental crown to South Africa last year, Nigeria will be keen to reclaim their title and qualification for the upcoming AWCON is the immediate objective.
The Super Falcons will have another chance to shine on a global stage later in 2024 during the Olympic Games in Paris, but they first have to navigate a tedious qualifying phase that will see 25 teams battle for just two spots.
However, Nigeria is one of seven teams that have been automatically awarded safe passage into the second round of the qualifiers ahead of their commencement in October.
This article was most recently revised and updated 1 year ago
