Super Falcons remain Africa's best in final FIFA rankings for 2023

• Nigeria's Super Falcons concluded the year on a slightly sour note as they slipped in the FIFA women's world ranking for December 2023.

The latest rankings, unveiled on Friday via FIFA's official website, reveal a drop from the 32nd position to 34th for the Falcons.

Despite this descent on the global stage, the nine-time African champions maintained their stronghold as the number-one team in Africa.

In the last ranking released in August, the Falcons had enjoyed a significant rise in fortunes, climbing eight places from 40th to 32nd.

That ascent directly resulted from the former African champions' stellar performance at the 2023 Women's World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand.

Surprisingly, the Super Falcons have won three and drawn one of the four matches played since that ranking, beating Ethiopia and Cape Verde (twice) by a combined scoreline of 13-1.

The Nigerian women's national team then crowned a fantastic year by claiming the award of the Best Women's National Team at the 2023 CAF awards in Marrakech, Morocco, this Monday.

The Falcons have already qualified for the 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations to be hosted in Morocco.

On the global table, current women's world champions, Spain, climbed to the top of the rankings for the first time.

The United States of America's women's national team slipped down to the second position, while France held firm at third. England maintained their fourth-place standing, and Sweden experienced a drop to fifth.

The next FIFA women's world ranking will be published in March 2024.