Uganda top Cecafa region in first 2018 FIFA rankings

KAMPALA, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- Uganda have improved in the world FIFA rankings and also maintained their top position in the Council for East and Central Africa Football Associations (Cecafa).

In the latest rankings released by the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA) on Thursday, Uganda moved two places better to 73rd out of the 211 members with 446 points.

Uganda's improvement comes after they finished third in the 2017 Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup and also managed a 1-1 draw against Guinea in an international friendly early this month.

"We are happy to keep improving in the rankings because it shows that we are getting better and better," Humphrey Mandu, the deputy Chief Executive Officer of the FA told Xinhua.

Uganda, who have won the regional Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup a record 14 times, are also ranked 16th in the African continent. Kenya, who won the 2017 Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup, are second in the Cecafa region and 105th in the world.

Rwanda, who are also playing at the on-going 2018 Africa Nations Championship, are third in the Cecafa region, while Sudan forth and Ethiopia fifth.

Rwanda, however, dropped by three places to 116th in the world with 282 points, and Sudan jumped a massive 12 places to 124th (260 points) as Ethiopia also improved by six places up to 137th with 213 points.

Tunisia, who improved by four places, are the best ranked African country and 23rd in the world with 915 points. They are among the five African nations that qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Senegal and Egypt are the other African countries that are ranked highly in the world at 24th and 30th.

Germany maintain the number one status quo with 1602 points, ahead of Brazil (1483), Portugal (1358), Argentina (1348) and Belgium (1325) as the top five countries in the world. Enditem