The 2-2 away draw with higher rated Ukraine some days ago was not enough to lift Nigeria up in the monthly FIFA Ranking released this Thursday.
The Nigerian team slipped one step on the ladder, placing 34th.
The team however retains its third position in Africa behind Senegal and Tunisia. In the global setting, Belgium remain top after an action-packed number of weeks in international football which saw 78 friendlies, 74 continental qualifiers and 60 FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ qualifiers take place.
Although the teams in the top ten remain unchanged, there has been some movement. France (2nd, up 1) and Brazil (3rd, down 1) have traded places, while Spain (7th, up 2) are the top ten’s biggest movers.
The Cayman Islands (193rd, up 11) and Grenada (160th, up 13) are the joint-biggest climbers by points, reaping the rewards after their successful showing in the Concacaf Nations League. Indeed, Grenada’s 13-place surge means that they are September’s highest climber by ranks.
Other notable upwardly mobile nations include Jamaica (47th, up 5), who have broken into the top 50, the Republic of Ireland (28th, up 4), Russia (42nd, up 4), Guatemala (133rd, up 11), Suriname (142nd, up 9), Montserrat (187th, up 9) and Djibouti (186th, up 9), who recently overcame Eswatini (150th, down 11) over two legs to advance to the second round of African World Cup qualifying for just the second time.
Meanwhile, Kosovo (119th, up 1) have been rewarded for their impressive performances in UEFA EURO 2020 qualifying by reaching their best-ever position in the FIFA ranking.
The Cook Islands are not ranked in the latest standings due to not playing an international “A” match in the last four years. After their next international “A” match, they will be included in the ranking table again with their points total from July 2019, plus/minus the points won or lost in the new match.