APA-Dakar (Senegal) The winners of the 34th Africa Cup of Nations (AfCON), Côte d’Ivoire have moved up ten places in the latest FIFA rankings.
The honours continue to pour in for Ivorian soccer. Hosts of the thirty-fourth edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (Can), which they won (2-1) against Nigeria last Sunday, Côte d’Ivoire are now in thirty-ninth place in the FIFA rankings for February 2024.
On a continental level, they are ahead of Morocco (12th), Senegal (17th), Nigeria (28th) and Egypt (36th). The Elephants, who jumped ten points from their previous position, reaped “the rewards of (their) home triumph,” according to world soccer’s governing body, in a statement published on its website on Thursday.
The Super Eagles, unfortunate finalists at the latest edition of the competition, can take some consolation from the “spectacular leap” they made from 42nd to 28th place in the world.
However, “the biggest rise in this ranking in terms of places” is achieved by Angola (93rd), with a jump of more than 24 places, for having been quarter-finalists in the competition considered to be one of the most successful AfCON in terms of organisation, attendance and media coverage.
Although their hopes of retaining the title they won for the first time in Cameroon were drowned out in the Round of 16 by the Elephants, “resurrected” from their position as best third-placed team in their
group, the Lions of Senegal nonetheless achieved their best ever performance in FIFA rankings, climbing to a historic 17th place.
Furthermore, the top three in the FIFA rankings remained unchanged, with the Argentina-France-England trident, although “it was Qatar (37th, +21) who took the prize for the greatest leap forward (+92.04 points) with their second continental crown on home soil”. Jordan (70th, +17), a finalist in the Asian Cup, “made good progress, as did Thailand (101st, +12), who reached the Round of 16” in this event, reflecting the “major upheavals in Africa and Asia,” according to FIFA.
The African top 20 in the FIFA rankings:
Morocco (12th)
Senegal (17th)
Nigeria (28th)
Egypt (36th)
Ivory Coast (39th)
Tunisia (41st)
Algeria (43rd)
Mali (47th)
Cameroon (51st)
South Africa (58th)
Burkina Faso (61st)
Democratic Republic of Congo (63rd)
Cape Verde (65th)
Ghana (67th)
Guinea (76th)
Equatorial Guinea (79th)
Gabon (84th)
Zambia (87th)
Uganda (92nd
Angola (93rd)
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