Beyond Nigeria’s rise in FIFA ranking

FOLLOWING Nigeria’s impressive run at the recently concluded Africa Cup of Nations held in Cote d’Ivoire, the country moved 14 places on the FIFA ranking. Prior to the continental showpiece, the Nigerian senior national team, the Super Eagles, was ranked 42nd globally. The Eagles were also Africa’s sixth best team. With the latest ranking, however, they are now third in Africa, behind the 2022 World Cup quarter finalists, Morocco, and the 2021 AFCON champions, Senegal.  The top 10 teams in Africa are Morocco at 12th position globally, Senegal at 17th, Nigeria at 28th,  Egypt at 36th,  Ivory Coast at 39th, Tunisia at 41st, Algeria at 43rd,  Mali at 47th, Cameroon at 51st and, finally, South Africa at 59th position globally. Nigeria is now ahead of AFCON champions Cote d’Ivoire and Erling Haaland’s Norway.

Reacting to the latest rankings, the General Secretary, Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Dr. Mohammed Sanusi,  attributed the Eagles’ improvement to the huge sacrifice made by the football federation and the massive support the team received from the presidency and Nigerians as a whole.  He said:  “We went to Cote d’Ivoire not to just attend the Nations Cup but to make all Nigerians proud and I am happy we got to the final, only to narrowly lose to the hosts. The players were made to believe they could win the AFCON again after 11 years. We started sensitising the public through the ‘Lets Do It Again” campaign and that got a lot of Nigerians to believe that we could win this year’s AFCON, including the players.  I saw a committed, hardworking team, one that was not divided in any way. All hands were on deck to ensure the team did well in Cote d’Ivoire and you can see some of the results with the new FIFA World ranking.  For the first time in many years, we didn’t witness any bonus row from the team. Kudos must be given to the presidency for the financial and moral support given to the team before and after the AFCON.”

To be sure, the Super Eagles’ remarkable ascent in the FIFA rankings is a significant milestone in Nigerian football. It is the highest in four years. During AFCON 2023, the Eagles demonstrated a lot of resilience. They played a total of seven matches, winning five, recording a draw in one and narrowly losing one. They defeated Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Cameroon, Angola, and South Africa. Indeed, heading into the final match against the Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan on February 11, there were many who put their money on the William Troost Ekong-led Eagles to emerge the 2023 AFCON champions, but they eventually lost out to the Elephants despite scoring the first goal of the match. And in spite of the heartbreak, the Jose Peseiro-led side gained a lot of fans as they battled unsuccessfully to win a fourth continental title.

However, although Nigeria’s move from 42nd in the world to 28th is the highest for the Super Eagles in 11 years, with the team matching its 2013 record, the team still has a lot to do to restore the pride and dignity of Nigerian football. The Eagles must approach the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers with greater dedication and resilience than they showed at the last AFCON, knowing that as the most decorated team on the continent, they have a name to protect. After emerging champions in 2013, the Eagles failed to build on their glorious momentum and it is time for the Ministry of Sports, the NFF and the coaching crew to come together and give the team the support it needs to excel. Already, the Atlas Lions of Morocco have set a record at the global fiesta and the Eagles should not only hope to get a ticket; they should hope to surpass previous achievements. They have a bounden duty to build on their AFCON showing and maintain their upward trajectory in the FIFA rankings through superlative performances.

Of course, having been ranked the fifth best side in 1994, the Super Eagles have a great task ahead of them. They need to become the top footballing side in Africa and work towards earning a place on the global top 10. That requires a lot of commitment on the side of the players and the coaching crew, coupled with the requisite technical and administrative support by the Sports ministry and the NFF, which received commendation at AFCON 2023 for uncharacteristically eliminating the drawbacks for which it had tended to be known, including the accustomed in-fighting and rows over players’ bonuses. The Eagles had a great AFCON run and must build on it for the future. They should put the loss of the AFCON 2023 trophy behind them and look towards the future with great determination and hope.