The Super Eagles of Nigeria have experienced a significant setback in the latest FIFA rankings, dropping from 36th to 44th in the world.
This was announced on Thursday, November 28, via FIFA’s official website, marking one of the steepest declines for the three-time African champions in recent years.
The 2-1 home defeat to Rwanda during the final phase of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers brought an abrupt end to the Super Eagles’ unbeaten run in the qualifying series.
The Super Eagles were held to a 1-1 draw by the Benin Republic in an earlier qualifier at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
Argentina, the reigning world champions, maintained their position at the top of the rankings despite a surprising loss to Paraguay in their recent World Cup qualifiers. In Africa, Morocco retained their position as the highest-ranked team on the continent, despite dropping one spot globally to 14th.
Previously ranked fourth on the continent, Nigeria has now dropped to fifth, with Algeria moving ahead to claim the fourth spot while maintaining their global rank of 37th. Morocco continues to lead African football, followed by Senegal in second place, who climbed three spots globally to 17th. Egypt holds onto third place in Africa but fell three positions in the global rankings, now sitting at 33rd.
This is Nigeria’s most dramatic fall in the FIFA rankings since February 2024, when the team jumped from 42nd to 28th globally and climbed to third in Africa—an achievement that had been their best leap since 2013.
Niger achieved the largest climb by advancing from 131st to 122nd, gaining an impressive 31.23 points.
The Democratic Republic of Congo suffered the biggest point loss, dropping 35.53 points. Comoros achieved their highest-ever ranking, now sitting at 103rd globally.
The current top five teams in the world are Argentina, France, Spain, England, and Brazil.
