Skip to main content

FIFA Rankings: Nigeria among top 50 teams

Nigeria-Super-Eagles

Nigeria’s Super Eagles are starting the year as the 50th placed team in the FIFA World Rankings.

According to the rankings table on the website of the world football governing body on Thursday, Nigeria broke into the first 50 by displacing Burkina Faso who went down by three spots.

The Super Eagles are able to garner 619 points as against 616 it had in December 2016.

The one spot movement has, however, placed the team as the 7th team in Africa behind Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and DR Congo respectively.

On the global scene, the top 34 positions remain unchanged with Argentina, Brazil and Germany still holding first, second and third place, respectively.

With only 12 Grade A matches played since the final rankings in 2016, there are few big changes in the January edition of the ranking.

But in spite of the overall stability of the January table, two new teams have broken into the Top 50, Saudi Arabia (48, up 6) and Nigeria (50, up 1),

They moved up at the expense of Albania (51, down 2) and Burkina Faso (53, down 3).

With the biggest move by both points and rankings, Suriname (128, up 22) are January’s best performer.

In spite of their recent improvement, the CONCACAF team are still some distance from their best ever position (84), recorded back in 2008.

The small Southern African nation of Swaziland, meanwhile, reached its best ever position in the World Rankings (99, up 1).

The next World Rankings will be published on February 9.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Court grants Fani-Kayode N50m bail

Fani-kayode sandwiched by EFCC officials Justice James Tsoho of the Federal High Court Abuja on Thursday granted a N50m bail to former spokesman of the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode. Fani-Kayode was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a five-count charge of money laundering to the tune of N26m. Fani-Kayode is the sole defendant in the fresh charges numbered, FHC/ABJ/CR/140/2016. The EFCC accused the defendant of diverting 26 million Naira allegedly received from the ONSA while Sambo Dasuki was in office. The anti-graft agency also accused him of handling the said N26 million without going through financial institution as required under the Money Laundering Act. The embattled former minister is already facing 17-count charge of money laundering before the Lagos Division of the court, along with a former Finance Minister; Nenadi Usman, Danjuma Yusuf and a firm; Joint Trust Dimension Nigeria Limited. They were charg

FG berates US congressman over comment

Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture Photo: Femi Ipaye/PM News The Federal Government has described as sadly out of tune with reality the published letter from US Congressman Tom Marino to Secretary of State John Kerry, asking the US to withhold security assistance to Nigeria on the strength of some imaginary infraction by the Buhari Administration. In a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said Congressman Marino was poorly informed about the issues he commented on, wondering why he did not take the pains to get first hand information from the US Embassy in Nigeria or any other credible source before engaging in what is nothing but a ‘propaganda of his own imagination’. The Minister said by asking the US to refrain from selling warplanes and other military equipment to Nigeria based on a faulty premise, the Congressman has demonstrated a poor understanding of global security issues. ”Insecurity anywhere i

Aubameyang leads Gabon to Nations Cup

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leads the cast for Gabon as the hosts became the first team to name their final 2017 Africa Cup of Nations squad. The team captain and Borussia Dortmund star will lead the home players out for the opening game of the tournament against debutants Guinea-Bissau on 14 January in Libreville. Gabon have also named Sunderland midfielder Didier Ndong despite the player being left out of November’s World Cup qualifier in Mali. Ndong was in the capital city Libreville but failed to turn up for international duty ahead of the Mali game last month, forcing the Gabonese Football Federation [Fegafoot] to send him back to England. But a remorseful Ndong, who held clear-the-air talks with Fegafoot has been included in a 23-man Panthers squad. Other names to make the final party include Juventus midfielder Mario Lemina, Bruno Ecuélé Manga of Cardiff City and China-based striker Malick Evouna. Gabon coach José Antonio Camacho included three do