FIFA World Rankings; two teams experience declines

In the latest release of the FIFA world rankings, Qatar, the reigning AFC Asian Cup champions, and the newly crowned African champions Ivory Coast have made significant leaps into the top 40, while two North African teams experienced declines.

Qatar’s retention of their Asian title propelled them 21 places up the rankings to a historic 37th position, marking their highest-ever placement in the 32-year history of the rankings.

Similarly, Ivory Coast ascended ten spots to 39th place.

The top ten remained unchanged, with Argentina, the winners of the 2022 World Cup, leading the pack, followed by France and England.

Notably, Morocco, ranked 12th, emerged as the highest-ranked team outside of South America and Europe, despite their exit in the Round of 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations against South Africa.

Japan leads the Asian teams at 18th place, despite their quarter-final exit in the Asian Cup.

Last weekend’s finalists also witnessed significant movements, with Nigeria climbing 14 places to 28th and Jordan ascending 17 spots to 70th.

However, Egypt slipped one place to 36th globally, while the biggest declines were seen by Algeria and Tunisia, both dropping 13 places.

The early exits from the Africa Cup of Nations saw Tunisia fall to 41st place and Algeria to 43rd.