The new FIFA ranking of football teams around the world has pegged the Nigerian Super Eagles at the 31st position in the world while maintaining their previous position with the last ranking.
According to the recent ranking table which had also been published on FIFA’s verified page on Thursday, the Jose Peseiro-coached players had also maintained the 1,504.7 garnered points which they had made in July.
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On the continental level, they have also been still placed fourth behind Senegal (18), Morocco (23) and Tunisia (30).
On the global scene, with some five major tournaments in the different parts of the world, international women‘s football has also hogged the headlines in recent months.
Fifty-eight international fixtures had also been played in the men‘s game, mostly in Africa and Asia, hence changes in the August edition of the FIFA World Ranking are few and far between. Two countries, Mauritania (107th, plus 3) and Botswana (146th, plus 3) have been posting good results, as reflected by a climb of three places each in the standings.
That progress makes them jointly the two most-improved sides in terms of places.
And meanwhile in the top 50, almost nothing has changed from the previous edition, Brazil (1st, ), Belgium (2nd, ) and Argentina (3rd, ) still occupy the podium places, while their immediate followers remain in the same order they were in June. Only Iran (22nd, plus 1) and FIFA World Cup host Qatar (48th, plus 1) move up one place apiece.
Outside the Top 100 in addition to the aforementioned African duo, Mozambique (116th, plus 2) and Angola (120th, plus 2) also made up ground among CAF sides, as did Bermuda (168th, plus 2) in Concacaf.
In another report, FIFA has increased the maximum squad size for the November 21–December 18 competition by three, allowing nations to choose up to 26 players for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
‘The number of players to be included on the final list has been increased to at least 23 and a maximum of 26,’ FIFA said in a statement.
World football’s governing body said the decision to expand squads was made ‘given the need to retain additional flexibility due to the unique timing’ of this year’s competition, which will interrupt the European club season.
FIFA also took into account the ‘broader context of the disruptive effects caused by the Covid-19 pandemic on squads before and during tournaments’.
