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Anthony Nlebem.
Nigeria’s senior women’s football national team, the Super Falcons moved one place up in the October women’s football ranking released by the world governing football body, FIFA on Thursday.
Despite losing three friendly matches to the United States women’s team and Japan, the Falcons, nine-time African champions moved from 46th to 45th position.
Randy Waldrum’s Super Falcons side lost 4-0, and another 2-1 defeat to reigning world champions the USA, during a tour in the North American nations in September. Then lost 2-0 to 2011 world champions Japan – in a friendly game early in October
Despite all three defeats, the Super Falcons maintained the top spot in Africa ahead of South Africa’s Banyana Banyana, ranked 54th.
Cameroon’s Indomitable Lioness are the third-highest-ranked African team, climbing up one place to 58th in the world.
The Black Queens of Ghana (59th) and the Lady Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire (64th) are the other two teams that complete Africa’s top-ranked teams.
According to a statement from FIFA, the October 2022 ranking will decide the seeding for the final draw for the 2023 Women’s World Cup scheduled to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
The Super Falcons are among the seven countries including the USA, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Brazil and Japan, to have qualified for all eight editions of the Women’s World Cup.
The USA maintained their number one spot in the Women’s world ranking, with Sweden toppling Germany as the number two team, and England, France, Spain, Canada, the Netherlands, Brazil, and North Korea all making the top 10.
The Draw will be held in Auckland (New Zealand) on 22 October, with the Draw for the Play-Off Tournament taking place eight days earlier.
The Draw for the Play-Off Tournament for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ will take place at 12.00 CET on Friday 14 October.
The following ten teams have qualified for the play-off tournament:
Portugal (23rd), Chile (38th), Chinese Taipei (40th), Thailand (41st), Papua New Guinea (50th), Paraguay (51st), Haiti (56th), Panama (57th), Cameroon (58th), Senegal (84th)
The Super Falcons will participate in its eighth tournament in Australia and New Zealand in 2023, having secured a ticket to the 2022 edition of the Women’s African Cup of Nations.