By Amaechi Agbo

World Football governing body, FIFA on Thursday released the July 2021 football ranking according to countries with Nigeria’s senior male national team, the Super Eagles losing points to be placed 34th best football country in the world, www.bestchoicesports.com.ng can report.

The slide in the latest ranking is no thanks to the team’s failure to win any three friendly matches it played against Cameroon (twice) and Mexico.

Consequently, the team lost 7 points it had in May ranking to loses two places.

Previously placed 32nd in the world and 3rd in Africa in last ranking with 1487, the three-time Africa Cup of Nations winners dropped from third to fifth in the continent, and 34th globally with 1480 points.

This is after Gernot Rohr’s Super Eagles failed to win any of their three international games.

The three-time African champions lost twice and drew a game l including a four-zero bashing by Mexico early in July.

In the ranking released on Thursday and published on FIFA’s official website, Senegal, Tunisia Algeria emerged top three in Africa respectively. They were followed by Morocco who are fourth.

In the world ranking, Belgium retained their top spot despite being eliminated in the quarter-finals of the European Championship.

Their last-eight opponents and eventual winners of the tournament, Italy, (5, +2), moved up into the top 5, just behind EURO runners-up England (4, no change). Just above that pair, Brazil (2, +1) and France (3, -1) swapped places.

Argentina (6, +2) reaped the benefits of a triumphant Copa America campaign, while the two Gold Cup finalists broke into the top 10. Victorious in that tournament and winners of the Concacaf Nations League as well, United States (10, +10) climbed no fewer than ten places, eight more than Mexico (9, +2), who, despite losing in the final of both competitions, now sit one spot above their continental rivals.

In addition, it is worth noting the impressive progress made by Gold Cup invitees Qatar (42, +16), who reached the semi-finals in the USA, thereby recording the largest climb of the month and equalling their highest-ever position in the ranking, which dates back to the first edition in 1993.

A handful of other teams that did not take part in regional tournaments, such as Sierra Leone (106, +8), Eswatini (146, +8), Puerto Rico (171, +7), and Mongolia (185, +7), still managed to gain ground courtesy of positive friendly results.

“The next FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Ranking will be published on 16 September 2021,” FIFA said on its website.

Super Eagles will be on the pitch again next month when the race for 2022 World Cup qualifiers get underway.

Nigeria will begin the campaign bat home against Liberia on September first and will face Cape Vers four days later away.