FIFA Rankings: Super Eagles drop out of Africa’s top five

For the first time in six months, Nigeria’s Super Eagles have fallen outside the top five African teams in the latest FIFA World Rankings.

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Despite moving up one spot globally from 44th to 43rd, the Nigerian national team was overtaken by Côte d’Ivoire, which climbed five places to 41st, securing Africa’s fifth position.

Morocco held firm to the top spot in Africa ahead of Senegal, ranking 12th globally.

Senegal are second on the continent and in the 19th position worldwide.

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Egypt and Algeria also made slight gains, ranking third and fourth in Africa and 32nd and 36th globally, respectively.

Meanwhile, Côte d’Ivoire’s rise to 41st placed them ahead of Nigeria, which now sits sixth in Africa. Tunisia follows closely in seventh, having climbed three spots to 49th globally.

The last time Nigeria was ranked outside Africa’s top five was in September 2024.

Super Eagles’ ranking decline

The Super Eagles began the year 2024 ranked 28th, buoyed by their strong performance at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, where they reached the final but lost to the hosts, Côte d’Ivoire.

However, a disappointing year, marked by inconsistent performances and struggles in World Cup qualifiers, led to a significant decline.

In 2024, the Super Eagles played 15 matches, winning nine, drawing four, and losing five.

While they successfully secured a place at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, their World Cup qualification campaign has been challenging.

Nigeria currently sits fourth in their qualification group for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, making their path to the tournament in the USA, Canada, and Mexico increasingly difficult.

The team’s 44th-place finish at the end of 2024 equaled their lowest year-end ranking in recent memory, last recorded in December 2018.

This decline contrasts sharply with previous years, as Nigeria finished 42nd in 2023 and 35th in 2022.

Global standings

A total of 245 international matches have influenced the latest FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Ranking, with teams from Africa, Asia, Oceania, and South America competing in World Cup qualifiers, while UEFA and Concacaf teams contested Nations League matches and friendlies.

At the top of the rankings, Argentina remains in first place following key victories over Uruguay (1-0) and Brazil (4-1). Spain has moved up to second, overtaking France, which dropped to third. England holds steady at fourth, while Brazil rounds out the top five.

READ ALSO: NFF shuts down Eric Chelle Super Eagles exit rumours

Other notable shifts in the top 10 include the Netherlands (6th) overtaking Portugal (7th), with Belgium (8th), Italy (9th), and Germany (10th) maintaining their positions. Croatia (11th) and Morocco (12th) are closing in on the top 10.

The next edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Ranking will be published on 10 July.