Izuchukwu Okosi
Following an impressive outing at the just concluded 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, Nigeria’s Super Falcons have achieved their highest FIFA ranking after Monday’s official release, Prime Business Africa reports.
Prior to the World Cup, the nine-time African champions were the least ranked side in Group B that contained Canada (Olympics champions), Australia (co-hosts) and debutants, Republic of Ireland, in 40th position.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThey are also the top ranked team on the African continent.
The Falcons qualified for the World Cup after finishing in 4th place at the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations in Morocco last year but has toppled other African countries whose flags were flown at the World Cup.
Randy Waldrum’s team held Canada to a goalless draw, then beat Australia 3-2 and recorded another scoreless draw against Republic of Ireland.
In the round of 16, they played out a goalless draw against European champions, England after 120 minutes of spellbinding game but in the ensuing penalty shootout after the extra time, the Three Lionesses triumphed 4-2.
FIFA has meticulously ranked the participating teams based on their performance. However, there’s a twist in this ranking method.
Teams that were eliminated at the same stage of the competition are evaluated based on the circumstances of their elimination.
The Super Falcons’ feat stands out prominently, as the Super Falcons not only outperformed numerous other teams but also secured a higher ranking than football giants Germany, Brazil, Portugal, and Italy.
The top 10 teams in the Women’s World Cup rankings showcase champions Spain at the pinnacle, followed by England, Sweden, Australia, Japan, France, the Netherlands, Colombia, the USA and Nigeria making up the list.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
