This Thursday, Portugal maintained the seventh position in the FIFA rankings, in the classification in which Angola has the greatest increase: the African team has risen by 24 positions, rising to 93rd place.
The biggest rise in the rankings came from Angola’s performance under Portuguese Pedro Gonçalves at the African Cup of Nations (CAN2023), a competition in which the Angolans reached the quarter-finals, being eliminated as runners-up by Nigeria.
The Nigerians, who reached the final and defeated Cote d’Ivoire (1-1, 4-2 on penalties), are coached by Portuguese Jose Peseiro.
At the end of CAN2023, Nigeria was ranked 28th in the FIFA rankings, up 14 places, while champions Ivory Coast were in 39th place, up ten places.
Cape Verde, which also reached the quarter-finals of CAN2023, moved up to 65th place and continues to be the top Portuguese-speaking African team: Mozambique moved up to 110th place, Guinea-Bissau dropped to 118th place and Sao Tome and Principe remained in 191st place.
The Asian Cup, also played earlier in the year, also had an impact on the rankings, with champions Qatar having the second biggest increase, now ranked 37th in the rankings, up 21 places from their previous position.
Among the teams coached by the Portuguese, Paulo Bento’s United Arab Emirates are in 69th place, Paulo Duarte’s Togo is 116th and Rui Bento’s Kuwait is 137th.
The ranking remains unchanged across the top 10, with world champion Argentina in the lead, followed by France in second and England rounding out the podium in third.
FIFA ranking (indicating previous position):
1. (1) Argentina – 1855.2 points.
2. (2) France – 1845.44.
3. (3) England, 1800.05.
4. (4) Belgium – 1798.46.
5. (5) Brazil – 1784.09.
6. (6) Netherlands – 1745.48.
7. (7) Portugal – 1745.06.
8. (8) Spain – 1732.64.
9. (9) Italy – 1718.82.
10. (10) Croatia – 1717.57.
(…)
65. (73) Cape Verde, 1377.06.
93. (117) Angola, 1238.11.
110. (111) Mozambique, 1184.72.
103. (110) Guinea-Bissau, 1,164.01.
191. (191) Sao Tome and Principe, 888.94.
187. (187) Macau, 896.62.
200. (200) Timor-Leste, 843.4
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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