With its latest update, FIFA has now confirmed the 10 highest-ranked CAF nations following the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
The 34th edition of the tournament in the Ivory Coast was, by all accounts, a thrilling affair and has since been widely hailed by many as the best in its history.
Read: AFCON star set to replace Mbappe at PSG?
Unpredictability was the overarching trend at this year's showpiece, with several top teams going out with a whimper as the likes of Tunisia, Algeria and Ghana endured embarrassing group-stage exits at the hands of minnows and relative underdogs.
Moreover, the top two nations heading into the competition, Morocco and Senegal, also failed to progress beyond the quarter-finals, while Nigeria and Ivory Coast reached the final, where it was the hosts who claimed the prestigious trophy on Sunday.
These mixed results have now led to some movement in the global standings, with FIFA having now revealed the latest world rankings.
Morocco remain the No. 1 team in Africa followed by Senegal, while AFCON finalists Nigeria moved up to third.
South Africa have now broken into the top 10 CAF nations, moving up eight places in the overall world ranking from the previous update.
Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria are the only three nations inside the top 10 CAF teams to drop down the standing, while new African champions Ivory Coast climbed 10 spots up the rankings, moving up to 39th place in the world and fifth on the continent.
Although they remain outside the top 10, Angola made the biggest jump among African nations, going up a huge 24 places to 93rd in the world following their showing at AFCON 2023.
Here are the 10 top-ranked CAF nations following the latest AFCON, per FIFA's latest rankings:
1. Morocco (12th in the world)
2. Senegal (17th in the world)
3. Nigeria (28th in the world)
4. Egypt (36th in the world)
5. Côte d'Ivoire (39th in the world)
6. Tunisia (41st in the world)
7. Algeria (43rd in the world)
8. Mali (47th in the world)
9. Cameroon (51st in the world)
10. South Africa (58th in the world)
In terms of the entire world rankings, the top 10 remains the same, with Argentina retaining the No. 1 spot, France in second, and England in third.
Read: OPINION: Mourinho's future is in international football
You must be SIGNED IN to read and post comments.
WATCH:
