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Nigeria’s place in the latest FIFA Men’s World Rankings has not changed after the 2026 World Cup, but the Super Eagles have lost ground among Africa’s best teams, Footynaija reports.
Eric Chelle’s side remain 26th in the world, yet they have dropped from third to fourth in Africa after Egypt’s impressive World Cup campaign. The Pharaohs climbed to 24th in the global rankings by reaching the Round of 16 before losing 3-2 to eventual runners-up Argentina.
Nigeria missed the expanded 48-team World Cup after falling short in the qualifiers, meaning they had no chance to earn ranking points during the tournament. Morocco remain Africa’s highest-ranked nation in sixth place after reaching the quarter-finals, while Senegal stay second on the continent despite slipping three spots to 18th in the world. Algeria complete Africa’s top five in 29th.
Spain are the new world No. 1 after beating Argentina 1-0 in the World Cup final, with France and England making up the rest of the top four.
Although they were absent from the tournament, the Super Eagles kept a strong position thanks to their third-place finish at the 2025 AFCON and positive results earlier this year, including winning the Unity Cup in London. They also beat Iran and Zimbabwe, drew with Jordan and Poland, and narrowly lost to Portugal in a busy run of international matches.
Nigeria’s next opportunity to climb the FIFA rankings will come in the 2027 AFCON qualifiers, which begin during the September 21 to October 6 international window. The Super Eagles have been drawn in Group L with Madagascar, Guinea-Bissau and Tanzania.
With Tanzania already qualified as co-hosts, Nigeria know that a strong start could put them on course for the finals and help them move back into Africa’s top three when the next FIFA rankings are released in October.
