Nigeria has moved two places up in new Fifa rankings for footballing nations to rank 58th in the world.
Nigeria’s rise on ranking table released on Wednesday, is aided by the victories recorded by the Super Eagles in the month of June against Rwanda and Kenya and a draw with Malawi.
Brazil slumped to 11th in the Fifa rankings, their lowest ever position, while tiny Tahiti surged 41 places after their astonishing win at the Oceania Nations Cup.
Brazil dropped out of the top 10 for the first time since the rankings began in 1993 following defeats to Mexico and Argentina in friendlies last month.
Performances at the just concluded Euro 2012 had an impact on places, with winners Spain staying top, semifinalists Germany moving up a spot to second and runners-up Italy, jumped from 12th to sixth.
Moving in the opposite direction, Netherlands slumped from fourth to eighth after their first-round exit at Euro 2012.
Under the complex system used to calculate the rankings, 2014 World Cup hosts Brazil dropped on the rankings for not playing any competitive international match since last year’s Copa America when they were knocked out in the quarterfinals.
Uruguay remained the highest-ranked South American side at third followed by Argentina in seventh.
Africa’s highest team is Cote D’Ivoire in 16th.
Tahiti’s shock win at the Oceania Nations Cup lifted them 41 places to 138th though they are still short of their record 111th ranking they achieved in 2002.
Nigeria is ranked 10th in Africa with Cote D’Ivoire and Ghana leading the African football fraternity in first and second positions respectively.