Super Eagles retain 26th in FIFA Ranking, drop to fourth in Africa
Nigeria’s senior men's national team have maintained their 26th position in the latest FIFA Men’s World Rankings released on Monday but have dropped to fourth in Africa following Egypt’s impressive run at the ongoing 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Eric Chelle’s side remain on 1,585.2 ranking points, staying ahead of Turkey, Australia, Algeria, Canada and Côte d’Ivoire, who occupy 27th to 31st places respectively in the global standings.
The Super Eagles have not played a competitive match since June, when they suffered defeat to former European champions Portugal in an international friendly.
Nigeria’s fall in the continental rankings was triggered by Egypt’s progression to the Round of 16 at the World Cup. The Pharaohs bowed out after a narrow 3-2 defeat to Argentina, a campaign that lifted them to third among African teams.
Morocco continue to lead the continent after reaching the World Cup quarter-finals, a performance that also saw the Atlas Lions climb one place globally from seventh to sixth. Senegal remain Africa’s second-highest-ranked side despite slipping three places in the world rankings, while Algeria dropped one spot globally but retained fifth position in Africa.
Despite missing the World Cup, Nigeria remain the second-highest-ranked nation among countries absent from the tournament, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. Only Denmark, ranked 21st in the world, sit above the Super Eagles among teams that failed to qualify.
Former England captain and Chelsea legend John Terry recently described Nigeria’s absence from the expanded 48-team tournament as a major disappointment, saying the Super Eagles were one of the notable teams missing from the competition.
Nigeria finished second behind South Africa in Group C of the CAF World Cup qualifiers before keeping their qualification hopes alive with a playoff semi-final victory over Gabon. However, Chelle’s men saw their campaign end in the playoff final after losing to the Democratic Republic of Congo in a penalty shootout, extending their World Cup drought after also missing the 2022 finals in Qatar.
The Nigeria Football Federation later challenged DR Congo’s qualification over the alleged use of ineligible players during the campaign, but the appeal was rejected.
At the top of the latest FIFA rankings, newly crowned world champions Spain reclaimed the No. 1 spot, pushing Argentina down to second. France, England and Brazil complete the top five.
The next FIFA Men’s World Rankings are scheduled for release on October 7, 2026.
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