Nigeria’s Super Eagles have surged four places to 41st in the latest FIFA Men’s World Rankings, reclaiming their spot among Africa’s top five footballing nations.
The new ranking, published by FIFA on Friday, reflects Nigeria’s strong recent form in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The three-time African champions rose from 45th position after impressive back-to-back wins — a hard-fought 2–1 victory over Lesotho in Polokwane and a dominant 4–0 triumph against Benin Republic in Uyo.
These results not only boosted the team’s ranking points but also strengthened their position in the continental playoff race for the 2026 World Cup. With this improvement, Nigeria has now overtaken Ivory Coast, which sits one spot lower at 42nd globally.
The Super Eagles are now preparing to face Gabon — ranked 77th in the world and 15th in Africa — in a crucial qualifier that could set up a final playoff encounter against either Cameroon or DR Congo.
Across the continent, Morocco continues to lead as Africa’s highest-ranked nation despite slipping one place to 12th globally. Senegal sits second in Africa and 18th in the world, followed by Egypt (32nd), Algeria (35th), and Nigeria rounding out the top five.
Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Mali, Cameroon, and South Africa make up the rest of Africa’s top ten.
On the global stage, Spain retained the number one spot after dominant World Cup qualifying wins against Georgia and Bulgaria. Defending world champions Argentina climbed back to second following victories over Venezuela and Puerto Rico, while France dropped to third after a draw against Iceland halted their momentum.
The latest rankings underline Nigeria’s upward trajectory as the Super Eagles continue their quest to return to football’s biggest stage with renewed confidence and purpose.
