Super Falcons retain top spot in Africa despite FIFA women’s world ranking drop

The Nigerian women’s national football team, the Super Falcons, maintained their position as the number one team in Africa despite dropping two places in the final FIFA women’s world ranking for 2023. The ranking, released on Friday, December 15, 2023, on the FIFA website, placed the Super Falcons at 34th globally.

While the Falcons slipped from 32nd to 34th in the overall ranking, they retained their top spot on the African continent. The team’s impressive performances in the Paris 2024 Olympic and WAFCON 2024 qualifiers against Ethiopia and Cape Verde were insufficient to propel them higher in the global standings.

In the previous ranking published in August, the Super Falcons had made a significant leap, moving up eight places from 40th to 32nd. The notable improvement was attributed to their outstanding showing at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Despite not climbing further in the recent ranking, the Super Falcons received recognition for their achievements at the 2023 CAF awards, where they were honored as the Best Women’s National Team. The team’s success and contributions to women’s football in Nigeria were celebrated during the prestigious event.

Spain, the reigning women’s world champions, achieved a historic milestone by ending the year as the number one-ranked team. It marked the first time in their history that Spain claimed the top spot in the FIFA women’s world ranking. The United States, former FIFA Women’s World Cup winners, secured the second position, followed by France in third place. England maintained their fourth position, while Sweden dropped to fifth.

Looking ahead, the next FIFA women’s world ranking is scheduled to be published in March 2024.