Starlets fall to position 151 in latest Fifa rankings

National women’s football team Harambee Starlets have dropped four places from position 147 to 151 in the latest Fifa rankings.

This came less than two weeks after Starlets elimination from the 2024 Women Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) qualifiers.

The Mares of Botswana ended the Kenyan girls’ dream 2-1 on aggregate. Starlets drew 1-1 with Botswana at home in the first leg before losing 1-0 away in Botswana in the return match on December 5.

Botswana, who qualified for Wafcon at Kenya’s expense, also fell four places to position 153.

This year, Kenya have participated in international competitions twice — marking a return to the global stage after being banned by Fifa for over a year.

In September, Kenya’s Harambee Starlets bagged a significant victory by eliminating the Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon from the race for Wafcon during the first round of the qualifiers.

Starlets secured a 4-3 victory on post-match penalties after the aggregate score ended in a 1-1 tie.

Cameroon suffered a huge drop in their global ranking, falling 12 places to position 68.

There have been some notable changes for other African teams in the latest rankings released on Friday by the world governing body.

Uganda’s Crested Cranes, who were knocked out of the Wafcon qualifiers by Algeria in September, have moved up five places to 150.

Meanwhile, Tanzania, who qualified for the 2024 Wafcon after defeating Togo in the last round of qualifiers, have also dropped five places to position 145.

On the other hand, Nigeria also dropped by two points to position 34. African champions South Africa, Ghana and Cameroon, who now sit in positions 52, 61 and 68, respectively, equally dropped in their rankings.