Nigeria have dropped to fourth place among African teams in the latest FIFA Men’s World Rankings, despite maintaining their 26th position globally.
The updated rankings, released on Monday, show the Super Eagles on 1,585.2 ranking points, keeping them ahead of Turkey, Australia, Algeria, Canada and Côte d’Ivoire in the world standings.
The latest rankings reflect Nigeria’s inactivity since June, when Eric Chelle’s side suffered a 2-1 defeat to Portugal in an international friendly.
While the Super Eagles’ global position remains unchanged, their standing in Africa has been affected by Egypt’s strong showing at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Pharaohs reached the Round of 16 before narrowly losing 3-2 to Argentina, a run that lifted them above Nigeria on the continental rankings.
Morocco remain Africa’s highest-ranked nation after advancing to the World Cup quarter-finals and also climbed one place to sixth in the world. Senegal continue to occupy second place in Africa despite slipping three places globally, while Egypt now sit third on the continent. Algeria complete the top five African teams.
DailyInsightNG reports that Nigeria are still the second-highest-ranked nation among countries that failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with only Denmark, ranked 21st globally, sitting above the Super Eagles.
Nigeria missed the expanded 48-team tournament after falling short in the African qualifiers. The Super Eagles finished behind South Africa in their qualifying group before defeating Gabon in the playoff semi-final. However, their hopes ended after a penalty shootout defeat to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the final playoff.
The Nigeria Football Federation also challenged DR Congo’s qualification over allegations involving ineligible players, but the appeal was unsuccessful.
Meanwhile, Spain have climbed to the summit of the FIFA rankings after winning the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Argentina dropped to second, while France, England and Brazil complete the world’s top five national teams.
The next FIFA Men’s World Rankings are expected to be published on October 7, 2026.