Nigeria's senior men's national team have enjoyed a significant boost in the latest FIFA World Rankings, climbing 12 places to 26th globally following their impressive third-place finish at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.

Released on Monday, the updated rankings mark a sharp rise from Nigeria’s previous position of 38th, reflecting the team’s resurgence on the continental stage. The Super Eagles have also surged to third in Africa, up from sixth, underlining the impact of their commanding performances at the tournament.

Nigeria’s upward swing came despite a pre-AFCON friendly setback against Egypt. Once the competition kicked off, however, the Super Eagles swiftly put that disappointment behind them, storming through the group stage with a flawless record. Victories over Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda secured a perfect nine points and top spot in their group.

The momentum carried seamlessly into the knockout rounds. Nigeria dismantled Mozambique in the round of 16 to book a quarterfinal berth, before overpowering Algeria to reach the semifinals and announce themselves as one of the tournament’s standout sides.

Their title ambitions were halted at the penultimate hurdle, narrowly losing to hosts Morocco in a tense penalty shootout. Yet the Super Eagles showed admirable resilience, bouncing back to defeat Egypt on penalties in the third-place playoff and finish the tournament on a high.

Nigeria’s AFCON exploits translated into the biggest points gain in the latest FIFA update, with the team adding a remarkable +79.09 points to their tally. On the African ladder, they now trail only champions Senegal who climbed to 12th globally after lifting the AFCON trophy and Morocco, who remain the continent’s highest-ranked nation and have risen to eighth in the world.

Algeria sit 28th globally, while Egypt moved up to 31st to complete Africa’s top five. Cameroon recorded the biggest continental climb, rising to 45th in the world and seventh in Africa, as Morocco celebrated their highest-ever FIFA ranking.

At the summit of world football, there was no movement among the top seven nations. European champions Spain retain top spot, ahead of world champions Argentina in second. France occupy third, followed by England in fourth and Brazil in fifth, with Portugal sixth and the Netherlands seventh.

Morocco’s leap to eighth pushed Belgium down to ninth and Germany to tenth, while Croatia slipped just outside the top 10 to 11th.

The next FIFA World Rankings will be released on April 1, 2026, when Nigeria will look to sustain their upward momentum and continue their climb among the world’s elite.