The Super Eagles of Nigeria have fallen eight places in the latest FIFA rankings, moving from 36th to 44th globally. The rankings, released on Thursday by FIFA, also show that Nigeria has dropped to fifth in Africa, losing a spot to Algeria.
This marks one of the biggest declines for any team in the rankings, with Congo Brazzaville and Sierra Leone also recording significant drops.
The slide follows a poor performance by the Super Eagles in their final 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers. Despite securing qualification before their match against Benin Republic, courtesy of Rwanda’s victory over Libya, Nigeria managed only a late 1-1 draw against the Gernot Rohr-led Beninese.
Four days later, the team suffered a shocking home defeat to Rwanda at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, compounding their underwhelming performance.
On the continental stage, Morocco and Senegal retained their positions as the best African teams, followed by Egypt in third and Algeria in fourth.
Globally, Argentina continues to lead the rankings, with France and Spain in second and third, respectively. England and Brazil complete the top five teams in the world.
The latest FIFA rankings reflect a challenging period for the Super Eagles, who will look to regain form ahead of the 2025 AFCON tournament.
