Senegal ended this year as the highest ranked African national team, edging Cup of Nations title-holders the Ivory Coast for top spot in the December listings released on Thursday.

Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Ghana and Morocco complete the top 10 compiled by world governing body Fifa.

All the countries bar Nigeria will be among the 16 challengers for the Cup of Nations title when Gabon stages the 2017 tournament between January 14 and February 5.

Another four qualified teams – Mali, Cameroon, giantkillers Guinea-Bissau and Uganda – are among the top 20 ranked teams.

Gabon-bound Togo and Zimbabwe and the host nation fall outside the elite, but should not be underestimated when the biennial African Cup kicks off in Libreville.

A Senegal side packed with Europe-based professionals, including Sadio Mane of Liverpool and Keita Balde of Lazio, completed their Cup of Nations qualifiers with a perfect six-win record.

But after a routine win over Cape Verde at the start of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, they fell 2-1 to South Africa, who scored from a penalty that should not have been awarded.

Ghana ended 2016 as the 53rd best national team in the world and ninth in Africa in FIFA’s last ranking for the year.

The Black Stars remained unchanged on the table after only 15 men’s international ‘A’ games played since the release of the last ranking.

Ghana are down eight places in the world ranking to 53rd position and went down four places to ninth in the Africa last month.

This was after they lost 2-0 to the Pharaohs at the Borg El-Arab Stadium in Alexandria in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Monthly African rankings released by Fifa Thursday (world ranking in brackets):

1. Senegal (33)
2. Ivory Coast (34)
3. Tunisia (35)
4. Egypt (36)
5. Algeria (38)
6. Democratic Republic of Congo (48)
7. Burkina Faso (50)
8. Nigeria (51)
9. Ghana (53)
10. Morocco (57)
11. Mali (60)
12 South Africa (60)
13. Cameroon (65)
14. Benin (66)
15. Guinea-Bissau (68)
16. Guinea (69)
17. Congo Brazzaville (70)
18. Uganda (72)
19. Cape Verde (80)
20. Libya (85)