By Uchechi Ohanusi
Nigeria’s Super Eagles have moved up four places to 41st in the latest FIFA men’s world rankings, returning to Africa’s top five football nations. The updated rankings, released on Friday, show a significant rise for Nigeria, who climbed from 45th to 41st globally, overtaking Ivory Coast, now ranked 42nd.
The team’s impressive progress comes after strong performances in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, where they secured a 2–1 victory over Lesotho in Polokwane and a 4–0 win against Benin Republic in Uyo.
These results not only boosted Nigeria’s ranking points but also sealed their spot in the continental playoffs for the 2026 World Cup.
The Super Eagles will next face Gabon, ranked 77th in the world and 15th in Africa, in a decisive playoff encounter for a place in the final qualification round, where either Cameroon or DR Congo could await.
On the African scene, Morocco remain the highest-ranked team on the continent despite slipping one place to 12th globally. Senegal sit second in Africa and 18th worldwide, followed by Egypt (32nd) and Algeria (35th), while Nigeria completes the top five. Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Mali, Cameroon, and South Africa occupy the remaining positions in Africa’s top ten.
Globally, Spain continue to dominate at the summit of the FIFA world rankings after recording successive World Cup qualifying wins over Georgia and Bulgaria.
Argentina climbed back to second place following friendly victories over Venezuela and Puerto Rico, while France dropped to third after a 2–2 draw against Iceland despite an earlier 3–0 win over Azerbaijan. :
