Despite missing out on the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), Kenya national football team Harambee Stars, has managed to outperform their East African rivals Tanzania in the latest FIFA rankings.
Kenya slipped one spot to start 2024, now standing at 111th worldwide due to their absence from AFCON 2023.
On the other hand, Tanzania’s national team, the Taifa Stars, participated in the AFCON 2023 tournament but failed to make a significant impact.
Notwithstanding their appearance in the prestigious competition, the Taifa Stars find themselves ranked at position 119 in the latest FIFA rankings released on 15th February 2024.
Taifa Stars failed to secure a spot in the last 16 after they finished bottom of Group F. They recorded one loss and two draws in the group stage to finish this year’s AFCON with two points.
The lowest point for Kenya in FIFA rankings came in July 2007 when they were ranked at 137th in the world. This period marked a challenging time for the team as they struggled to assert themselves on the global stage.
However, Kenya’s fortunes turned around in December 2008 when they achieved their highest-ever ranking of 68th in the world. This milestone was a testament to the team’s hard work and determination, as they managed to climb significantly in the international standings.
Kenya is ranked position 25 in Africa according to the latest rankings released by world football governing body FIFA.
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FIFA Rankings in African Countries
North African giants Morocco has remained Africa’s top-ranked team, moving up a place to 12th despite losing in the last 16, and Senegal are 17th after bowing out at the same stage against the hosts.
Nigeria Super Eagles are now ranked the 28th best team in the world after going 14 places up.
Ivory Coast have climbed 10 places in the FIFA world rankings after winning the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, while runners-up Nigeria have moved up 14 spots.
Impressively, AFCON 2023 quarter-finalists Angola who moved 24 places up to 93rd are the biggest climbers in the latest instalment of the global ranking.
Other impressive performers are Equatorial Guinea (79, up nine places), South Africa (58, up eight places), Cape Verde (65, up eight places), Namibia (107, up eight places) and Mali (47, up four places).
Tunisia and Algeria have both dropped 13 spots, to 41st and 43rd respectively, after suffering group-stage exits at the tournament.
Nevertheless, Harambee Stars’ journey through 2023 was a rollercoaster of emotions with victories and defeats that showcased their potential and areas of weakness.
In November, they kicked off the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign with a 2-1 loss to Gabon before they bounced back to beat Seychelles 5-0.
That came after an impressive 2-2 draw with Russia in October, having beaten Qatar 2-1 before losing to 1-0 to South Sudan a month earlier.
Kenya will resume their World Cup qualifiers in June when they have back-to-back home matches against Burundi and newly crowned African champions Ivory Coast.
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FIFA Rankings of Kenya in 2023
In 2023 FIFA Men’s World Rankings, Kenya slipped, tying at position 110 with Guinea Bissau.
The downfall followed a 1-0 loss to South Sudan and a 2-2 draw against Russia. Neighboring Uganda also saw a dip but remains among the top 100 globally, sitting comfortably at the eighteenth spot among CAF teams.
Tanzania, a co-host for AFCON 2027, had a silver lining, climbing to 121 in the rankings. However, they still trailed behind Kenya.
Kenya shifted from its 109th position, losing 2.71 points from their previous total of 1186.85. Morocco and Senegal continued to shine as the top African teams, holding 13th and 20th positions, respectively.
Meanwhile, FIFA World Cup 2022 champions, Argentina, retained their top spot with a total of 1861.29 points.
A total of 20 African nations made the cut in the top 100 rankings, showing the continent’s strength in global football.
