July 15, 2016 By Sahr Morris Jr.
Sierra Leone was among the top 10 best movers, moving 18 places upwards in the latest world football governing body, FIFA rankings released on Thursday.
The published July grading takes Sierra Leone to a joint 90th position in the world with Guatemala and an impressive 25th position in the Africa stage.
Leone Stars, whose massive progress could be connected to the team’s 1-0 win over Sudan in last month’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers in Freetown, were able to secure a total of 376.18 points, 59 points more from their June ranking, which was 317 points.
Sierra Leone is now behind Victor Wanyma’s Harambee Stars of Kenya in 22 position in Africa; former African champions, Zambia are in 23rd place, while Botswana are in 24th position.
In the World stage, Sierra Leone now sits above Liberia, Libya, New Zealand, Montenegro, Mozambique, Kazakhstan and the 2017 African Cup of Nations host, Gabon, respectively.
Leone Stars next international match will come in September against the African Champions, Les Elephants of Ivory Coast, in the final round of the 2017 AFCON qualifiers in Bouake. The African Champions are currently ranked 35th in the World and second in Africa.
The said match has already been dubbed as a must win for Sierra Leone, who could book their AFCON finals tickets to Gabon. Achieving such feat could also move them significantly upwards in the FIFA monthly ranking.
The next edition of the ranking will be released on 11 August.