By Chibuike Nwabuko
Abuja (Sundiata Post) – The Super Eagles of Nigeria have secured their best year-end ranking in ten years after the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) released its final rankings for 2019 on Thursday, Completesports. Com reports.
Nigeria’s senior national team has ended the year 2019 as the 31st best football playing country in the world. The last time the Eagles finished a calendar year higher than 31 was a decade ago. And that was in December 2009 when the team was ranked 22nd by the world’s football governing body. That year, Nigeria finished as the third best country in Africa behind both Ivory Coast (16 in the world) and Cameroon (11).
After ending 2019 in the 31st position, the three-time African champions remain unmoved in the latest Fifa rankings after Nigeria maintained its placing from the month of November.
Gernot Rohr’s men garnered a total of 1493 points to stay as the third-best team in Africa behind the pair of fellow West African nation, Senegal and North Africans, Tunisia.
In the year under review, the Super Eagles picked up the bronze medal at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations staged in Egypt following their victory over Tunisia.
The team also achieved that feat despite having missed the two previous editions in 2015 and 2017 after they had won their third title in South Africa in 2013.
Nigeria’s rivals for a ticket to the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, Benin, Sierra Leone and Lesotho are 84th, 118th and 139th respectively in the world.
The next Fifa/Coca-Cola World Ranking will be published on Thursday, 20 February 2020.
Culled from Completesports Nigeria