FIFA December Rankings: Nigeria's Super Eagles stay ahead of AFCON group stage foes

• In their latest FIFA rankings unveiled on Thursday, December 21, Nigeria's Super Eagles have maintained their standing as the 42nd-best national football team in the world.
• The announcement, made through their official website, shows the three-time African champions experienced no change from their November standing.

The Super Eagles did not play any match during the period under review, accounting for their non-movement on the FIFA ranking table.

Nigeria remain the sixth-best footballing nation in Africa, behind Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, Algeria, and Egypt.

However, the Super Eagles are the highest-ranked team in Group A of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, which kicks off in Ivory Coast next month.

Nigeria will battle with AFCON hosts Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau for one of the two knockout round tickets in Group A.

José Peseiro's squad is placed above others within the group, with Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau securing positions 49th, 88th, and 103rd, respectively.

Nigeria will begin their AFCON campaign with a match against Equatorial Guinea, followed by clashes against host Ivory Coast and a concluding group stage game against Guinea-Bissau's Djurtus.

The outcome of Nigeria's performance in the tournament will inevitably influence their ranking on FIFA's first release for 2024.

Advancing to the later stages promises an ascent in the global standings, while a subpar showing could result in a downward shift in the pecking order.

Nigeria won the AFCON in 1980, 1994, and 2013, but they have only reached the semifinal stage of the tournament once - in 2019 - since their last triumph ten years ago.