The latest FIFA ranking released on Thursday revealed that Nigeria’s Super Eagles have dropped five places to occupy the 40th position in the world and 6th in Africa.
This is a significant drop of over 13 points from their previous ranking of 1494.32 to 1480.8. The team is now ranked behind Russia, which has not participated in competitive football for a while.
In contrast, the Central African Republic had the biggest climb in the rankings, rising ten ranks on the back of successive wins that put them in a good position to qualify for their first-ever AFCON appearance.
The Super Eagles have been on a poor run, winning only once in their last five games. Meanwhile, in South America, Argentina climbed the highest to the number one spot in the rankings for the first time in over six years, overtaking Brazil after enjoying friendly wins over Panama and Curacao. France also moved up in the rankings, pushing Brazil down to fourth place, while Belgium and England complete the top five ranks.
