Nigeria has dropped five places in the latest FIFA rankings for February.
The Super Eagles, who were 35th world in ranking, dropped 14 points to go 40th.
This was due to their poor performances in the recent Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Guinea-Bissau in the month under review.
Jose Peseiro’s men were defeated by the Wild Dogs in an unlikely fashion in the first leg in Abuja before laboring to a 1-0 win in Bissau in a poor performance in the second leg.
FIFA last announced the ranking for men on December 22, 2022, with the Eagles finishing the year in the 35th position after losing one step.
The new version (of ranking) developed by FIFA named “SUM” relies on adding/subtracting points won or lost for a game to/from the previous point totals rather than averaging game points over a given period as in the previous version of the World Ranking.
The points which are added or subtracted are partially determined by the relative strength of the two opponents, including the logical expectation that teams higher in the rankings should fare better against teams lower in the rankings.
These wins and matches will have an impact on the latest FIFA World Rankings.
The new system also saw the Eagles drop further in Africa as they currently occupy the sixth position.
Meanwhile, Morocco’s impressive run saw them maintain their number one spot on the continent and 11th in the world. They are followed by second-place Senegal, who also moved one place in the world to 18th.
Nigeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mali, and Ghana complete the top 10 in Africa.
