Flames drop on rankings
Malawi National Football Team’s poor performance in the 2022 Qatar World Cup qualifiers has affected the team’s position on the latest Coca Cola Fifa rankings.
The Flames have dropped five places on the rankings from position 115 to 120 in the October rankings released yesterday by the world football governing body.
The October rankings are based on 160 2022 Qatar World Cup qualifiers, friendlies and the final rounds of the Uefa Nations League.
Malawi’s 3-0 and 2-1 back-to-back losses to Ivory Coast, which saw the team bowing out the 2022 Qatar World Cup qualification, led to the Flames dropping from 1159.81 points to 1146.29.
Football Association of Malawi (FAM) competitions and communications director Gomezgani Zakazaka said the Flames have the potential to reclaim the position if they register victories against Cameroon and Mozambique in their last Group D qualifiers next month.
“Of course, the Fifa rankings depend on the performance of other teams across the world.
“But we just have to win at least one game and we will be back where we belong or even much better,” he said.
The Flames host Cameroon on November 11 before wrapping up the qualifiers away to Mozambique on November 14.
Belgium remain atop the world hierarchy despite Uefa Nations League defeats to third-placed France and fourth-placed Italy.
Second-placed Brazil are breathing down the neck of the leaders, just 12 points further back while England have dropped two places.
A little further down, Spain on seventh progressed at the expense of Portugal in eighth while Germany are 12th after leapfrogging USA who are 13th.
Fifa says in a statement posted on its website www.fifa.com that the biggest changes are below position 15.
Reads the statement: “It is after that, however, where we find some of the most significant movers of this edition. Morocco [29]), Russia [33], Egypt [44], Saudi Arabia [49] and South Africa [66] all made strides on the back of two wins from two this month in Qatar 2022 qualifying.
“Two nations in the second half of table fared even better, with New Zealand [111] and Indonesia [165] the joint biggest movers this month, ahead of Central African Republic [115] and Cambodia.”
