Many people do not see how huge the FIFA Rankings are as they take it for granted. Many even see it as having no impact on the performances of the national teams.
The truth about it is that FIFA uses it to do seedings. Every continent also uses the FIFA Rankings to seed teams during draws. The top-ranked ones normally get some advantages as they avoid the big boys that can trouble them en route to success.
Here, the Top 10 African National Teams that have received higher rankings ever by FIFA and the months and years are revealed.
1. Nigeria – 5th ( April 1994):
Nigeria was a superpower in world football in 1994 as they won their second AFCON title by beating Zambia 2-1 in Tunis. Nigeria was full of stars as Okocha, Sunday Oliseh, Finidi George, Amunike, Amokachi, Yakini and Peter Rufai were all part of the team. Arguably the best African side ever, Nigeria was hot and received a higher ranking from FIFA after playing unbeaten in the AFCON. Clemens Westerhof’s Super Eagles was unstoppable and no one can argue that Nigeria didn’t deserve the 5th paced rankings in April 1994.
2. Egypt – 9th (July-September 2010 and December 2010):
Egypt won three AFCONs in succession (2006, 2008 and 2010). In the Confederation Cup in 2009, Egypt beat Italy, then defending world champions so it’s never a surprise to see the Pharaohs ranked that high by FIFA.
3. Morocco- 10th ( April 1998)
Morocco won a whopping 14 points in Group 5 of the 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The Atlas Lions won 5 of the 6 games they played in a group alongside Ghana, Sierra Leone and Gabon. The Atlas Lions topped Group D in the 1998 AFCON after beating Mozambique and Egypt and drew with Zambia. They lost 2-1 to Bafana Bafana in the quarter-finals though but had accumulated many points to deserve the 10th-placed rankings in April 1998.
4. Cameroon – 12th ( November 2006- January 2007 and November- December 2009)
Cameroon won the 2000 and 2002 AFCONs, and finished second in the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup, losing 1-0 to France. It was a golden moment for Cameroonian football hence merited the 12th position. In AFCON 20008, Cameroon lost in the finals to Egypt and enjoyed a nice 2010 World Cup qualifiers campaign as it helped them rank 12th in November and December 2009.
5. Cote d’Ivoire – 12th (February 2013 and April-May 2013)
Ivory Coast between 2012 and 13 was exceptional. They lost on penalties to Zambia in the 2012 AFCON. In the 2013 AFCON, they topped Group D and subsequently lost 2-1 to Nigeria in the quarter-finals. They also secured a place in the 2014 World Cup as all these contributed to Ivory Coast’s 12th placed rankings.
6. Ghana – 14th (April-May 2007 and February 2008)
Ghana qualified for their first World Cup in 2006. Although they had a disastrous AFCON in Egypt, they delivered in Germany on the world stage by beating the second-placed ranked team by FIFA, Czech and the much-experienced USA. Brazil eliminated Ghana but the performance in the World Cup and after the World Cup contributed to Ghana enjoying the 14th placed rankings in 2007. After the 2008 AFCON, Ghana was ranked 14th again in February after finishing 3rd in the AFCON they hosted and won 5 games and lost just one.
7. Tunisia- 14th ( April-May 2018)
Tunisia had a great time before the 2018 World Cup. In the qualifiers, they won 14 points from the possible 18. Tunisia won 2 games in the 2017 AFCON as they reached the quarter-finals.
8. Zambia- 15th ( February-May 1996, August 1996)
The Chipolopolos of Zambia finished second in the 1994 AFCON. In the 1996 edition, they finished 3rd as the consistency over the two years sent Zambia to the 15th place in February-May 1996 and August 1996.
9. Algeria – 15th (October 2014)
Algeria played in the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. In the 2014 World Cup, Algeria was a delightful side as they reached the Round 16. They won many points in the qualifiers for the main tournament, and it is the reason why they were ranked 15th by FIFA.
10. South Africa- 16th (August 1996)
Bafana Bafana won the 1996 AFCON at home and they were unstoppable. FIFA had no choice but to rank them as high as 16th after the sensational triumph back home.
