The Nigeria national football team, the Super Eagles, will finish 2022 as Africa’s fifth-best team and 35th in the world, according to FIFA’s monthly rankings.
On Thursday, FIFA revealed its final rating for the year, with Brazil staying the world’s top-ranked team despite failing to move past the quarter-finals in Qatar 2022.
Argentina, who won the World Cup for the third time last Sunday, climbed only to second place, up from third place previous to Qatar 2022. France is third, followed by Belgium and England in fourth and fifth place, respectively.
The Super Eagles had a disappointing year in 2022, barely making it to the second round of the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon before missing their chance for a seventh World Cup appearance against Ghana in March.
On the away goals rule, the Black Stars edged the Super Eagles to the Qatar 2022 ticket.
Unfortunately, after a dramatic 3-2 triumph over South Korea and ruffling Cristiano Ronaldo and his Portugal colleagues, the Black Stars were unable to proceed beyond the group round.
Aside from the failure in official games, the Eagles fared no better in the year’s few friendly games.
Portugal thrashed the Eagles 4-0 in Lisbon just before the start of the World Cup. The Eagles’ worst setback in nearly three decades came after another 2-0 loss to Costa Rica in San Jose.
The Super Eagles also suffered defeats in friendlies against Algeria, Mexico, and Ecuador.
FIFA placed the Super Eagles 32nd in the world and third in Africa in the first ranking of the year, announced in February, trailing only Senegal and Morocco.
The Eagles had the country’s best rating in 2022 in March, when they were placed 30th.
Though the Eagles finished in 36th position in 2022, they were one spot better than the previous year.
While the Eagles had a terrible season, the Atlas Lions of Morocco have risen to the number 11 slot, their highest ever in their history.
Morocco is the highest-ranked African team, now rated 11th in the world, after being the first African nation to reach the semi-finals, where they were defeated by France.
Morocco, which lost 2-1 to Croatia in the third-place play-off, is now ranked 14th, ahead of Mexico (15th), and Uruguay (16th).
Senegal, Tunisia, and Cameroon, Africa’s other World Cup contenders, were placed 19, 30, and 33, respectively. Ghana, the other African country competing in the Qatar 2022 World Cup, is ranked 58th.
The next FIFA ranking will be released in February 2023.
