In the most recent FIFA men’s rankings for the month of February, Nigeria has fallen five spots.
The Super Eagles, who were placed 35th in the world in the December ranking, plummeted 14 spots to 40th.
The Eagles’ decline in the standings was primarily brought on by their poor performance in the recent Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against lowly-ranked Guinea-Bissau in the month under review.
The Wild Dogs defeated Jose Peseiro’s team in the opening leg of the two-leg match at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja before José Peseiro’s team laboured to a 1-0 victory in Bissau.
The Eagles ended the year in 35th place after slipping one spot in the most recent FIFA men’s rankings, which were released on December 22, 2022.
In contrast to the previous version of the World Ranking, which averaged game points over a certain period of time, the current version of the ranking established by FIFA, called “SUM,” instead adds or subtracts points gained or lost for a game from the prior point totals.
The relative strengths of the two opponents play a role in determining the points that are added or deducted, including the logical expectation that teams higher in the rankings should perform better versus teams lower in the rankings.
The Eagles further slipped in Africa under the new system, where they currently hold the sixth spot.
