African teams make headlines as Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria drop in FIFA rankings

Mahmoud Elassal , Thursday 15 Feb 2024

After the conclusion of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the FIFA global rankings for February witnessed significant changes, with early eliminated teams experiencing substantial drops, while the finalists enjoyed higher rankings.

Egypt s Emam Ashour, left, duels for the ball with Ghana s Majeed Ashimeru during the African Cup of Nations Group B soccer match between Egypt and Ghana in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Thursday, Jan.18, 2024. AP

Egypt, following their stunning elimination from the round of 16 in the continental tournament, dropped three places from 33rd to 36th in the rankings.

Tunisia (41st) and Algeria (43rd) also suffered significant drops, losing 13 places in this month's ranking after exiting AFCON in the group stage.

On the other hand, AFCON finalists Nigeria climbed 14 places, and winners Cote d'Ivoire jumped 10 places in this month's ranking.

Cote d'Ivoire, the host of AFCON 2023 from 13th January to 11th February, claimed the title after defeating Nigeria 2-1 in the final game.

Among African countries, the Pharaohs moved up one place to fourth, trailing behind Morocco (12th), Senegal (17th), and Nigeria (28th).

In the Arab nations' rankings, Egypt secured the second position, with Morocco leading the pack.

Egypt had previously achieved a spot in the global top 10 after winning three consecutive Africa Cup of Nations titles in 2006, 2008, and 2010.

Retaining their position at the top of the world rankings is Argentina, followed by France, England, and Belgium, respectively.

Despite their poor run in the recently concluded AFCON 2023, Egypt, who strive for their fourth World Cup appearance, currently lead Group A in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers with a perfect score of six points.

They hold a two-point advantage over Burkina Faso and Guinea-Bissau, while Sierra Leone and Ethiopia share one point. Djibouti, at the bottom, has yet to earn a point.

Qatar made the biggest move, jumping 21 places to 37 after winning the AFC Asian Cup of Nations last week, while Vietnam experienced the biggest drop in points, losing 11 places in the February ranking.

The next edition of the FIFA Men's World Ranking will be published on April 4th.

FIFA's February World Rankings (December world rankings in parentheses):

1- Argentina (1)
2- France (2)
3- England (3)
4- Belgium (4)
5- Brazil (5)
6- Netherlands (6)
7- Portugal (7)
8- Spain (8)
9- Italy (9)
10- Croatia (10)

Top 10 African teams:

12- Morocco (13)
17- Senegal (20)
28 - Nigeria (42)
36- Egypt (33)
39- Cote d'Ivoire (49)
41- Tunisia (29)
43- Algeria (30)
47- Mali (51)
51- Cameroon (46)
58- South Africa (66)