Nigeria’s men’s national team, the Super Eagles, has experienced a drop in the latest FIFA rankings. The team fell three places to 43rd position, despite maintaining its fifth-best ranking in Africa. The drop is attributed to the nature of the friendlies and events played, which likely diminished the points value of Nigeria’s recent outings.
Nigeria trails Morocco (12th), Senegal (18th), Egypt (34th), and Algeria (36th) in the global rankings. Regional rivals Ghana (76th) and South Africa (56th) continue to languish further down the rankings. The African rankings are highly competitive, and Nigeria will need to perform well in upcoming matches to improve its position.
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At the summit of the global chart, Argentina retain top spot, followed by Spain and France, while Brazil remain outside the top three. The global rankings are closely contested, and Nigeria will need to focus on securing positive results to climb the ladder.
Super Eagles players( photo credit: Getty images)
Nigeria’s next opportunity to climb the ladder comes in September, when the former African champions resume their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign. Nigeria will trade tackles with Rwanda and bitter rivals South Africa in must-win group games that could determine their qualifying chances. Those fixtures — crucial and weighted more heavily in FIFA’s ranking formula — could provide the lift the team needs to re-enter the world’s top 40.
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The drop in FIFA rankings is a wake-up call for the Super Eagles, who will need to regroup and focus on securing positive results in upcoming matches. With the World Cup qualification campaign underway, Nigeria will need to perform well to improve its ranking and secure a spot at the tournament. The team’s upcoming fixtures against Rwanda and South Africa will be crucial in determining their qualifying chances and potential ranking improvement.
