Super Eagles head into AFCON as the 6th highest-ranked team

Super Eagles head into AFCON as the 6th highest-ranked team
Credit: Icon Sport

The Super Eagles of Nigeria has been ranked 42nd in the world in the latest FIFA Rankings.

In the last official FIFA Rankings for 2023 as released on Thursday, 21 December 2023, Nigeria has been ranked as the sixth-best African team.

The Super Eagles position remained unchanged from their November rankings, just like the Black Stars of Ghana and Bafana Bafana of South Africa.

According to the rankings released on FIFA.com, Nigeria has ended 2023 ahead of West African rivals Ghana and their 2026 World Cup group opponents South Africa in the recent FIFA rankings.

Ghana is in 61st position, while South Africa is ranked 66th in the world, both are outside of the best 50 according to FIFA.

Just like the Super Eagles, African heavyweights will slug it out in the Africa Cup of Nations which commences on 13 January 2024 in Ivory Coast.

These teams are looking to have a memorable tournament which will in turn be a boost in their placement when the next World FIFA Rankings comes out.

Super Eagles and the next AFCON

Nigeria will be vying to win their fourth title in the most prestigious football competition in Africa.

Kelechi Iheanacho in action for the Super Eagles
Credit: Icon Sport

Super Eagles players are in top form for their various clubs in Europe, the performances these players have put up has made Nigeria appear as one of the favourites to clinch the trophy in Ivory Coast.

Blessed with an array of star forwards like Victor Osimhen, Victor Boniface, Ademola Lookman, Kelechi Iheanacho and lots more, Nigerians are throwing their weight on the Jose Peseiro led team to make the country proud since it has been a long time Nigeria triumphed on the continent.

AFCON host Ivory Coast will open the tournament on 13 January 2024 as they lock horns with Guinea-Bissau in group A.

Nigeria will then be in group A action the next day as they kick-start their first game of the AFCON against Equatorial Guinea.

The best ranked teams ahead of the AFCON

The recent rankings shows that 2022 World Cup semi-finalists Morocco remains Africa’s highest-ranked team as they are placed in 13th position.

Morocco is closely followed by the AFCON defending champions Senegal who hold 20th place in the world rankings which automatically puts them 2nd in Africa.

The Carthage Eagles of Tunisia are 28th in the world and 3rd in Africa, while regional neighbours Algeria and Egypt hold 30th and 33rd globally which means they come 4th and 5th respectively in Africa.

Top ranked teams in the world

The 2022 FIFA World Cup champions Argentina remained top of the rankings ahead of World Cup finalists France.

England, Brazil, and Belgium complete the top five most ranked teams in the world.

The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Italy and Croatia complete the top 10 teams. The next FIFA Men’s World Ranking will be published on 15 February 2024.

This article was most recently revised and updated 1 year ago

Joseph is a freelance writer who spends most of his time writing engaging football contents. Based in Nigeria, Joseph is a die-hard Real Madrid fan with over 8 years experience in the sports betting space. He has covered football match previews, predictions, and news across leagues in Africa and Europe.