Nigeria’s Super Eagles have moved up four places to 41st in the latest FIFA Men’s World Rankings, returning to the top five footballing nations in Africa.
The new rankings, released on Friday by FIFA, reflect Nigeria’s strong recent form in the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, which saw them leap from 45th position and overtake Ivory Coast, now ranked 42nd globally.
The Super Eagles’ climb comes after a solid run of performances — including a 2–1 win over Lesotho in Polokwane and a dominant 4–0 victory against Benin Republic in Uyo — results that also secured their spot in the continental playoffs for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Nigeria will next face Gabon, ranked 77th in the world and 15th in Africa, for a place in the final playoff round, where Cameroon or DR Congo could be their next opponents.
Read Also;
How Super Eagles can secure World Cup ticket through play-offs
On the African stage, Morocco remains the continent’s top-ranked side despite dropping one place to 12th globally, followed by Senegal (18th), Egypt (32nd), and Algeria (35th), with Nigeria rounding out the top five.
The rest of Africa’s top ten includes Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Mali, Cameroon, and South Africa.
Globally, Spain continues to lead the world ranking after maintaining a flawless World Cup qualifying run with wins over Georgia and Bulgaria. Argentina, the reigning world champions, climbed back into second place following victories against Venezuela and Puerto Rico, while France slipped to third after a 2–2 draw with Iceland.
The latest rankings reflect growing optimism among Nigerian fans as the Super Eagles continue to rebuild momentum ahead of the next stage of World Cup qualifiers.
