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| Progress... Jane Thaba-Ntšo and Likuena end 2016 43rd in Africa |
Lesotho will end the year as 43rd best team in Africa
and 141st worldwide after the latest FIFA World Rankings were released on
Thursday. Likuena have moved up one place in the rankings
Overall, 2016 has seen Lesotho move from 152nd in
January to its current ranking at the end of the year. Likuena, however, are
set to be inactive for a few months.
At the moment, Lesotho’s next assignment will only be
in April when 2018 African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifiers begin.
In the rest of the rankings, Senegal ended 2016 as
Africa’s highest ranked team edging out reigning African champions Ivory Coast to
top spot.
Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, the Democratic Republic of
Congo, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Ghana and Morocco complete the latest top 10
released by FIFA.
All of the countries in the top 10, except for Nigeria,
will be among the 16 challengers for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title
in Gabon between January 14 and February 5.
Meanwhile, Argentina will end the year on top of the
world ahead of neighbours Brazil. Argentina, beaten finalists in the Copa
America in June, therefore, has taken the ‘Team of the Year’ title from Belgium
who they overtook at the summit in April this year. In all, Argentina won ten
of their 15 games in 2016, losing three and drawing twice.
The regional shaping of the ranking’s top 50 has taken
on a different slant compared to this time last year. Asia has increased its
standing with four teams now in the top 50, three more than last year.
Europe has 28 (minus one from last year), Africa has
seven (minus one), and CONCACAF has three (minus one). South America retains
its standing as the world’s proportional heavyweights with 80 per cent of
CONMEBOL teams in the top 50. There are eight South American teams in the top
50, the same number as in December last year.
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| Happiness... Saido Mane and Senegal end 2016 on top of Africa |
Africa Top 20 (world
ranking in brackets):
1 Senegal (33)
2 Ivory Coast (34)
3 Tunisia (35)
4 Egypt (36)
5 Algeria (38)
6 Democratic Republic of Congo (48)
7 Burkina Faso (50)
8 Nigeria (51)
9 Ghana (53)
10 Morocco (57)
11 Mali (60)
12 South Africa (60)
13 Cameroon (65)
14 Benin (66)
15 Guinea-Bissau (68)
16 Guinea (69)
17 Congo Brazzaville (70)
18 Uganda (72)
19 Cape Verde (80)
20 Libya (85)
