The Super Eagles have dropped out of Africa’s top five in the latest FIFA men’s world rankings following a difficult international window, Footynaija.com reports.
Nigeria slipped four places in the global ranking to 30th, with the three-time African champions now sitting sixth on the continent behind Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria and Côte d’Ivoire.
The latest ranking puts Nigeria on 1,567.97 points, a significant drop from the 1,585.2 points they held when they occupied 26th position.
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Eric Chelle’s side began the recent window with some much-needed encouragement after recovering from a goal down to beat Madagascar 2-1 in Uyo.
However, that result was followed by a damaging 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in the second of their AFCON 2027 qualifying matches.
The loss in Bissau proved costly for Nigeria’s ranking position, with Algeria and Côte d’Ivoire moving above the Super Eagles in the latest standings.
Nigeria did manage to finish the window on a more positive note after battling back from 3-1 down to draw 3-3 with Russia in Tuesday’s friendly at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium.
The result, however, was not enough to prevent Nigeria from slipping further down the rankings, although the Russia draw itself had only a marginal impact on their points tally.
Algeria are now ranked 28th in the world with 1,574.77 points, while Côte d’Ivoire occupy 29th place on 1,569.32 points.
Nigeria’s latest position means Chelle’s men have more ground to recover as they prepare for the upcoming November international window.
The Super Eagles are expected to return to AFCON 2027 qualifying action where a double-headed clash against Tanzania awaits. Nigeria will need a stronger run of results to climb back up the African pecking order.
