October 2021 was a busy month in international football, with qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, friendlies, and the final rounds of the UEFA Nations League all on the agenda.
A total of 160 fixtures were played, the impact of which can be seen in the FIFA World Ranking published on 21 October.
Nigeria remain 5th in Africa, despite their shock 1-0 home loss to the Central Africa Republic in a World Cup qualifier, and 36th in the world, below South Korea,Australia and Russia.
Though their lead is now under threat, Belgium (1, -) remain atop the world hierarchy despite UEFA Nations League defeats to France (3, +1) and Italy (4, +1). Among the top five, only Les Bleus and Gli Azzurri have improved their positions.
Brazil (2, -) remain second but are breathing down the neck of the Red Devils, just 12 points further back. England (5, -2) drop two places.
A little further down, Spain’s (7, +1) progress at the expense of Portugal (8, -1) is also noteworthy, as is that of Germany (12, +2), who leapfrog USA (13, -). Uruguay (15, -3) lost most ground among the Top 20 by dropping three places.
It is after that, however, where we find some of the most significant movers of this edition. Morocco (29, +4), Russia (33, +4), Egypt (44, +4), Saudi Arabia (49, +7) and South Africa (66, +7) 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, +10) and Indonesia (165, +10) the joint biggest movers this month, ahead of Central African Republic who stunned Nigeria in Lagos (115, +9) and Cambodia (170, +8).
