FIFA rankings: Nigeria women move up to 42nd in the world after Costa Rica win

By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde

Nigeria’s senior women’s national team moved three places up in the latest women’s FIFA ranking released on Friday, March 24.

The Super Falcons moved from 45th to 42nd position thanks a 1-0 win over Women’s World Cup-bound Costa Rica at the maiden Revelation Cup despite a seven-match winless streak for Randy Waldrum’s side.

Nigeria has played three games in the first three months of the year since the last ranking in December. They lost 1-0 to Mexico and Colombia respectively at the inaugural tournament before earning a 1-0 triumph against Costa Rica.

On the continent, South Africa remained second in Africa and maintained its 54th position in the world ahead of Cameroon which moved two places to 56.

Ghana in the fourth position in Africa also retained its 59th position in the world while Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Morocco, Tunisia, Zambia, and Algeria complete the top ten ranked women’s football teams in Africa.

The next ranking is expected to be out on June 9, 2023 and it will be the final FIFA Ranking before the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, scheduled to hold from July 20 to August 20.

Before then, the West Africans are already scheduled to slug it out with Women’s World Cup co-host New Zealand and debutants Haiti in their next international break in April in Turkey.