The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations has seen Nigeria’s Super Eagles emerge as the top-ranked team following South Africa’s surprising 2-0 victory over Morocco on Tuesday night. Before this match, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, and Tunisia, four of the top five teams on the continent, had already been eliminated from the competition.
Morocco, the first African country to reach the World Cup semi-finals, were considered strong favorites against Bafana Bafana, who had struggled in the group stage. However, second-half goals from Evidence Makgopa and Teboho Mokoena led South Africa to a memorable win over the Atlas Lions.
With Morocco’s exit, Nigeria now holds the highest FIFA ranking among the remaining teams at the AFCON. At the beginning of the tournament, the Super Eagles were ranked as the sixth-best team. Among the eight teams still in contention, Jose Peseiro’s squad is the top-ranked, followed by Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, South Africa, Congo DR, Cape Verde, Guinea, and Angola.