The Copper Bullets have been elevated in the FIFA rankings after their 3-1 and 2-0 wins over Lesotho in the AFCON qualifiers last month.
Avram Grant’s men put up an impressive show against the Crocodiles of Lesotho both home and away. Lameck Banda’s masterclass in Ndola sent the Levy Mwanawasa Stadium into bedlam as the Chipolopolo came from behind to win 3-1.
In the reverse fixture, it was Patson Daka and Fashion Sakala that grabbed the headlines as they combined for both goals in South Africa. However, the accolades do not only go to Zambia’s explosive front three but also to the solid defense and dominant midfield.
The Zambian national team has moved from 88th to 86th in the FIFA world rankings while maintaining 17th position in Africa. Of course, expectations are high for a team that is ranked 17th to qualify for an AFCON tournament that has 24 participants. The Chipolopolo are just a point away from featuring in their first tournament in four editions.
| 83 |  | Bolivia | 1296.42 | 1294.96 | 1.46 | |
| 84 |  | Jordan | 1293.26 | 1289.99 | 3.27 | |
| 85 |  | Bahrain | 1282.05 | 1280.27 | 1.78 | |
| 86 |  | Zambia | 1280.52 | 1265.15 | 15.37 | |
Argentina Tops World Rankings
Meanwhile at the top, world champions Argentina have leapfrogged fierce rivals Brazil to claim the top spot for the first time in six years.
The Albiceleste came out victorious in two international friendlies against Panama and Curaçao. This saw the three-time FIFA World Cup winners gain 2.55 more points to reach a total of 1841.
However, it was the 2022 FIFA World Cup runners-up France that amassed more points last month to move into second place. A 4-0 obliteration of the Netherlands and a narrow 1-0 win over the Republic of Ireland saw the French gain 15.06 more points to end up with 1838.
Brazil were knocked off their perch and now sits behind Argentina and France in third place. The Seleção lost points after a tasting defeat against the Atlas Lions of Morocco during the international break.
Morocco Tops Africa on World Rankings
Speaking of Morocco, the first-ever African FIFA World Cup semifinalists have maintained their status as the highest-ranked team on the continent. They also remain just outside the top 10 most-rated national teams on the planet in 11th place.
Just behind the Atlas Lions of Morocco in the African standings are the Lions of Teranga, Senegal. The African Champions maintain the second spot in Africa but move up from 19th to 18th in the world.
Sadio Mane and his compatriots blew away Mozambique in a doubleheader of the AFCON qualifiers, winning 5-1 and 1-0 against The Mambas.
The Carthage Eagles of Tunisia still sit in third place in the African rankings after two qualifying victories over Libya. The North African duo of Algeria and Egypt has climbed above the West African pair of Nigeria and Cameroon.
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Meanwhile, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, and Mali round off the top 10 in the CAF section of FIFA’s national team’s rankings.
