Nigeria’s senior women’s football team the Super Falcons have dropped three places on the latest FIFA world rankings for women.
The reigning African Champions moved from 36 to 39 on the rankings for the month of December – overtaken by Chile, Costa Rica and Thailand, but remain top spot on the continent to end the year as the number one ranked team in Africa.
Nigeria took part in this year’s FIFA Women’s world cup held in France alongside other African representatives, the Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroun who remain 2nd in Africa but ranked 10 places below Nigeria on the world stage in 49th and South Africa’s Bafana Bafana – 55th in the world and 3rd in Africa.
But the Falcons recently failed to qualify for next year’s Olympics in Tokyo after being held to a draw on home soil by the Ivory Coast who is now ranked 63rd in the world and 5th on the continent has moved six places up.
Placed 60th on the globe, Ghana’s Black Queens occupy 4th spot, while Equatorial Guinea (71) Morocco (81), Mali (82), Algeria (84) and Congo (101) make up the other teams in Africa’s top 10.
Two African teams on the rankings were amongst the biggest climbers for the month of December, with DR Congo moving up 10 spots to sit 108th and 2019 CECAFA Women’s Champions Kenya also up by 10 to be placed 133rd.
The World rankings also saw 2019 World Cup winners the USA maintain their place at the top to finish the year the same way they began, and two-time World Champions Germany in 2nd place with Brazil in 9th spot as they make a return to top the first 10 having dropped out since September for the first time in their history. Other teams in the world ranking top 10 include Netherlands, France, Sweden, England, Australia, Canada and Japan.