By Harry Awurumibe, Africa’s No.1 Women’s Football Journalist
Unmoved Falcons… Inspite playing in Summer Series in Texas, USA last June, Nigeria has remained No.38 in the FIFA World Ranking.
Expectedly, reigning African women’s football champions Super Falcons of Nigeria maintained her 38th position in the latest FIFA Ranking released on Friday.
This is even as Nigeria retained her leadership position as Africa’s top-ranked side ahead of the Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon that placed second position and a distant 52nd in the world. Also, one of the three African representatives in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup final in France, South Africa placed 55th in the ranking and third in Africa.
Others in the World Ranking and Top Ten in Africa are
Ghana (60), Ivory Coast (61), Equatorial Guinea (74), Tunisia (77), Morocco (81), Mali (84), and Algeria (86) in that order.
Indisputable Americans… Team USA still retains World No.1 tag
However, Africa’s sole representative in the just concluded 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Zambia’s Copper Queens expectedly moved ten places to 94th in the world and now occupy the 12th position in Africa.
Zambia’s heroics in the 4-4 draw against China PR, (now ranked 17th in the world dropping two places), in the group phase at Tokyo 2020, shot Zambia back into the top 100 in the world.
Meanwhile, Four-time FIFA Women’s World Cup Champions, United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) retained her No.1 position despite finishing in the 3rd Place in 2020 Tokyo Olympics to win Bronze medal.
Now in the No. 2 position behind the Americans, with just 21.53 points adrift, is Sweden, the side which took Silver at Tokyo 2020 and also walloped Team USA 3-0 in their opening group match.The Scandinavians have never climbed so high in the monthly FIFA ranking.
Pacesetter…Barbra Banda Scored Double Hat-tricks in Tokyo Olympics to help Zambia move ten places in the ranking.
Two-time Women’s World Champions, Germany has dropped a place to No. 3; Netherlands are unmoved in No.4 and France two places to No.5 while Canada, buoyed by her Olympic Gold is now No.6 (moving up two places).
In the same vein, Brazil, England, Korea DPR and Spain make up the Top Ten in world.
Interestingly, while many countries including Zambia that was thrashed in Tokyo Olympics moved up the table, Nigeria has remained at same place and even dropped one place lower in the recent time.
This may not be unconnected with Super Falcons not playing FIFA-approved international friendly matches just as the Summer Series in Texas, United States and the Antalya Cup in Turkey early this year were not FIFA-approved competitions.
Below is Africa’s Top 10 Ranked Women’s Football Teams:
1. Nigeria (38)
2. Cameroon (52)
3. South Africa (55)
4. Ghana (60)
5. Ivory Coast (61)
6. Equatorial Guinea (74)
7. Tunisia (77)
8. Morocco (81)
9. Mali (84)
10. Algeria (86)
World Top 10 Ranked Women’s Football Teams:
1. USA
2. Sweden
3. Germany
4. Netherlands
5. France
6. Canada
7. Brazil
8. England
9. Peoples Republic of Korea
10. Spain
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