Nigeria’s Super Eagles have dropped one place to 45th in the latest FIFA men’s world rankings released on Thursday, slipping out of Africa’s top five teams.
The decline follows a series of disappointing performances, including a poor showing by the home-based side at the African Nations Championship (CHAN) and an underwhelming run in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers — where they narrowly edged Rwanda in Uyo before being held to a draw by South Africa.
The results saw Nigeria lose crucial ranking points, allowing Ivory Coast to overtake them in the continental standings.
AFCON 2024 runners-up Nigeria now sit behind Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, and Ivory Coast in Africa’s pecking order. Morocco retained their status as the continent’s top-ranked team and remain 11th globally after their historic 2022 World Cup semi-final run.
Elsewhere, Zimbabwe suffered the steepest drop worldwide, falling nine places to 125th. On the global stage, Spain climbed to number one, displacing Argentina, who slipped to third, while France moved up to second.
In the women’s rankings, Spain also overtook the United States as the world’s top-ranked side, while Nigeria’s Super Falcons maintained their 36th position.
