Nigeria’s Super Eagles have dropped one place to 44th in the latest FIFA World Rankings released on Thursday, gaining 2.91 points to reach a total of 1484.26.

This slight improvement follows their recent performances, including two draws and a win in their latest match window.

The Super Eagles, who were previously ranked 43rd, sit behind Paraguay and ahead of Côte d’Ivoire, who dropped four places to 45th with 1483.45 points after a series of less favourable results.

Globally, Argentina retained their top spot despite losing 0.8 points, followed closely by Spain, who climbed to second place after gaining 12.45 points.

France sits third, while England and Brazil round out the top five. Portugal and the Netherlands each climbed one spot to 6th and 7th respectively, with Portugal posting the highest points gain among the top ten with +20.45.

Germany, on the other hand, dropped one spot to 9th despite maintaining the same point total, while Italy slipped two places to 11th after losing 15.73 points.

Mexico made the biggest jump within the top 20, climbing four places to 13th with a significant 42.79-point gain. The USA and Norway also saw notable improvements, each gaining over 20 points.

At the bottom of the table, San Marino remains the lowest-ranked team at 210th with 738.24 points.

FIFA updates its world rankings periodically based on international match results. The rankings influence tournament seedings and provide a snapshot of global football standings. (The PUNCH)