Nigeria’s senior men’s national yhave maintained their 26th position in the latest FIFA Men’s World Rankings released on Monday but have slipped to fourth place among African teams.
The three-time African champions remain on 1,585.2 ranking points, staying ahead of Turkey (27th), Australia (28th), Algeria (29th), Canada (30th), and Côte d’Ivoire (31st) in the global standings.
The Super Eagles have not played a competitive match since June, when they lost 2-1 to former European champions Portugal in an international friendly.
Nigeria’s decline in the African rankings comes after Egypt’s impressive performance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Pharaohs climbed to third on the continent after reaching the Round of 16, where they suffered a narrow 3-2 defeat to Argentina.
Morocco remain Africa’s highest-ranked nation following their quarter-final finish at the World Cup. The Atlas Lions also improved their global standing, moving up from seventh to sixth place.
Despite dropping three places in the world rankings, Senegal retained their position as Africa’s second-ranked team, while Algeria fell one spot globally but remained fifth on the continent.
At the summit of the FIFA rankings, newly crowned world champions Spain reclaimed the No. 1 position, overtaking Argentina, who slipped to second. France, England, and Brazil complete the top five.
FIFA is expected to publish its next Men’s World Rankings on October 7, 2026.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
