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NewsDay

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Warriors move up in Fifa rankings

Sport
THE resurgent Warriors continued their upward surge, climbing two steps up the ladder on the latest Coca-Cola World Rankings released by the global football governing body yesterday.

THE resurgent Warriors continued their upward surge, climbing two steps up the ladder on the latest Coca-Cola World Rankings released by the global football governing body yesterday.

BY DANIEL NHAKANISO

After jumping three places, when the rankings were reviewed last month, the Warriors continued their upward surge, as they climbed a further two slots from 112 to 110, edging towards the top 100.

The Warriors have been inactive since qualifying for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) with a match to spare after a 3-0 drubbing of Malawi at the National Sports Stadium on June 4.

Zimbabwe have been on the rise on the global standings since Kalisto Pasuwa took over the mentorship of the senior national side and are yet to lose a match in the Afcon qualifiers, winning three and drawing twice.

The Warriors play their last Afcon qualifier, now a dead rubber, against Guinea in Conakry next month.

Although the team took part in the Cosafa tournament in Namibia, where they were knocked out in the group stages, the competition is not considered by the Fifa in coming up with the rankings.

A quiet month of international football has resulted in a largely static movement in the rankings, with no change whatsoever in the top 20.

The world’s top 20 remained unchanged, with Argentina leading the charge over Belgium, Colombia and Germany, with Chile rounding off the top five, followed by Euro 2016 winners, Portugal.

The world’s biggest climbers were North Korea, who moved up 18 places to 99, while Cuba dropped 30 places to 151.

In Africa, Zimbabwe are now ranked 32nd, while Algeria remain the continent’s top-ranked side, with Ghana leapfrogging Ivory Coast into second place. West African side Senegal and Egypt complete the top five, as they are ranked fourth and fifth respectively.