January 2002, was the last time the North Africans were ranked the best team on the continent a position the Carthage Eagles had assumed the previous July.
The Carthage Eagles, who need just a point at home to Libya next month to qualify for the World Cup, replaces Egypt at the top of the African standings.
Egypt, on the other hand, qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1990.
Africa’s top ten on October’s FIFA rankings are as follows (global ranking in brackets) : Tunisia (28), Egypt (30), Senegal (32), DR Congo (35), Nigeria (41), Cameroon (42), Morocco (48), Ghana (52), Burkina Faso (55), Ivory Coast (61).