Following their first qualification to the Africa Cup of Nations in eight years, it was only ever inevitable that the Copper Bullets would gain in the FIFA rankings.
The 2012 AFCON winners decimated 2023 AFCON hosts Cote d’Ivoire 3-0 at the Levy Mwanawasa stadium in Ndola to book their ticket to Africa’s grandest football competition. Goals from Serge Aurier, Patson Daka, and Kings Kangwa were enough for the Chipolopolo to end their long wait for the African Cup of Nations finals.
Zambia has moved from 86th to 84th in the FIFA world rankings and from 17th to 16th in Africa.
Meanwhile, in Msanzi, South Africa has also powered up in the FIFA rankings, shifting four places from 66th to 62nd. The Bafana Bafana maintain their status as Southern Africa’s best team in the latest ranking.
They stunned Africa’s highest-ranked team, Morocco, with a 2-1 win at the FNB Stadium in the AFCON qualifications.
For the Atlas Lions, that defeat has seen them drop from 11th to 13th in the world rankings but still remain top-ranked in Africa. In second place is AFCON holders Senegal, followed by the North African trio of Tunisia, Algeria, and Egypt in 3rd, 4th, and 5th, respectively.
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Nigeria and Cameroon maintain their positions just outside the top five teams in Africa, in 6th and 7th, respectively. Meanwhile, Mali has leapfrogged the Ivory Coast following the latter’s 3-0 defeat to Zambia. Rounding off the top 10 in Africa is The Stallions, Burkina Faso.
Argentina top world rankings
On the world scene, Argentina remains at the top of the rankings with 1843.74 points. Following them closely is France and Brazil, respectively.
England has toppled Belgium to break into the top four ranked nations in the world. Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal remains in the world’s top ten (9th). This comes shortly after the Al Nassr striker’s Guinness World Record-breaking 200th international appearance.
It is these rankings that will apply to the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification draws that are scheduled for July in most confederations.
