The Super Eagles’ performance and
eventual qualification for the Round of 16 at the just-concluded World Cup in
Brazil has impacted on the July FIFA ranking as Nigeria now occupies the 34th position.
In the rankings table released by
the world football governing body on Thursday, Nigeria garnered 660 points and
moved up 10 spots as against June’s 631 points at 44th position.
Although Nigeria may not have been
too convincing at the 2014 World Cup, their performance is still good enough to
earn them a lift.
The African champions now place
third in Africa behind Algeria and Cote d’Ivoire.
Algeria who is now ranked Africa’s
best team has 874 points to occupy the 24th position in the world, while
Cote d’Ivoire has 850 points for 25th place in the world.
However, another African
representative at the World Cup, Ghana, slipped down by one spot to 38th in
the world and fifth in Africa, behind Egypt who remained static with 645
points.
On the global scene, four-time
world champions Germany reaped the reward of their triumph at the World Cup.
They now lead the table for the
first time in 20 years with 1,724 points.
World Cup runners-up Argentina are
now second with 1,606 points, while third-place finishers Netherlands
have moved 12 positions up the table and are now third in the world with 1,496
points.
Also, all the eight teams which
dropped out of the World Cup at the quarter-finals stage have climbed up the
ranking.
Colombia is now fourth, up by four
spots, and Belgium fifth, up by six spots.
France is now 10th, up by seven
spots, and Costa Rica is now 16th, up by 12 spots making it the central
Americans’ highest-ever ranking.
If the winners have gained, the
less successful teams on the other hand are left counting the cost of failure
in their rankings.
Former champions Spain have fallen
from the top spot to eighth place, while Portugal is now 11th, down by seven
spots, and Italy is 14th, down by five spots.
England is now placed 20th, down by
10 spots, while 2014 World Cup hosts Brazil have dropped four places to the
seventh position.
According to the world governing
body, the results of 111 international “A” matches have been taken into account
for the current edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking.
“Sixty-four out of these matches
were played at the World Cup in Brazil, 46 were friendlies and one was a
CONCACAF continental qualifier.
“The total number of international
“A” matches taken into account so far this year is now 362,’’ the FIFA Media
Office said in a statement. (NAN)
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