On 25 October 2018, FIFA published an updated rating of the world's men's national soccer teams. And while the world-known giants Belgium, France, and Brazil keep holding their positions on the pedestal, some changes have been made in the rating of the CAF nations. Some teams have made significant improvements and the others have reduced their positions a lot. So, let's take a look at the newest version of the African soccer top-5.
1. TunisiaCurrent position in the FIFA World Ranking: 22
Previous position in the FIFA World Ranking: 23
Having ascended 1 position higher, now Tunisia is officially the most successful national team on the African continent. In October, they played two AFCON qualification matches against Niger and won both of them. Such a great result ensured the team's qualification to the final phase of the Cup of Nations. However, as the Tunisian FA unexpectedly decided to part ways with the coach Faouzi Benzarti, the future of the team is unclear.
Tunisia hadn't lost any of its previous 4 competitive matches (including the 2-1 win against Panama in the World Cup group stage). In November, they can prolong this winning streak in the AFCON qualification match against Egypt.
2. SenegalCurrent position in the FIFA World Ranking: 25
Previous position in the FIFA World Ranking: 25
In October, the Senegalese national team managed to keep their positions in both FIFA and CAF rankings. Moreover, two confident wins against Sudan led the country to their 3rd consecutive AFCON qualification. As for now, the team can boast of remaining undefeated in 4 AFCON qualification matches. Pretty soon, the Senegalese will prove or break this tendency in the 5th round match against Equatorial Guinea.
This year, the Senegalese national team is as self-confident as never before. We all remember their first World Cup appearance over the last 12 years when the team defeated Poland and had an amazing 2-2 draw with Japan. Now, it seems like the coach Aliou Cisse looks forward to reaching the AFCON 2019 final, and the team definitely shares his intentions.
3. NigeriaCurrent position in the FIFA World Ranking: 44
Previous position in the FIFA World Ranking: 48
The Nigerian national team also had an effective October. Two wins against Libya (7-2 on aggregate) helped the team to ascend 4 positions higher in the FIFA rankings and to top the Group E of the AFCON qualification. Now, the team has to fight for qualification with South Africa, to whom they lost in the 1st round of the AFCON qualifiers. The coach Gernot Rohr announced the young and refreshed squad for the match, including the likes of Odion Ighalo, Daniel Akpeyi, and Samuel Chukqueze. These players have a good opportunity to return Nigeria to the past Cup of Nations glory.
4. Congo DRCurrent position in the FIFA World Ranking: 46
Previous position in the FIFA World Ranking: 40
Although the Congolese team is still one of the best among the CAF nations, it had little success this October. A 2-1 loss to Zimbabwe, followed by a 1-1 draw, made Congo DR drop 6 positions in the FIFA rankings. However, the team still has chances to qualify for the AFCON finals. Now Congo DR footballers are second in the Group G, and the November's match against Congo is a nice chance to defend their positions. But after such a poor performance in the fixtures against Zimbabwe, it's hard to make any predictions.
5. MoroccoCurrent position in the FIFA World Ranking: 47
Previous position in the FIFA World Ranking: 45
The 5th most successful CAF national team to the date — Morocco — also couldn't keep their positions in October. In the AFCON qualification matches against tiny Comoros, the team was not at their best. In the 1st leg, Moroccans managed to defeat their opponents 1-0 only thanks to the injury-time goal. As for the 2nd leg, it resulted in the 2-2 draw. Having lost 2 positions in the FIFA rankings, the team now has to protect their qualification hopes in a November's clash with Cameroon. By the way, the latter team is now 6th in the FIFA ranking of the CAF teams, so it can sooner or later take the Moroccans' position in the top-5.
Have you enjoyed the article? Take your bonus — a little useful note for those, who love African football and wants to get extra MONEY just for enjoying the beautiful game. Take a look at the YesPlay betting platform. It's perfect for betting on soccer in general, and on the African soccer in particular.
If you already have an experience in betting, you will appreciate all YesPlay's advantages — the huge variety of betting markets, fast rewards, wide opportunities for the multiple betting. If you're a newcomer, you will like the instant registration, big welcome bonuses, and the convenient interface. In short, on YesPlay, everyone will find all the resources needed for getting the desired profit. By the way, if you register now, you will get a generous double-up bonus.