By Dayo Awoniyi
Nigeria’s Super Eagles have suffered another setback in the latest FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Rankings, falling two places to 45th in the world and slipping out of Africa’s top five.
The three-time African champions had dropped to 44th in July after being ranked 43rd in April, and the September update confirmed a further decline.
Côte d’Ivoire moved ahead of Nigeria into fifth place on the continent after climbing to 44th globally on the back of consistent results.
Morocco continue to lead Africa’s charge in 11th place worldwide, followed by Senegal (18th), Egypt (35th), and Algeria (38th).
With Côte d’Ivoire completing the top five, Nigeria now trails its fiercest continental rivals at a time when qualification for major tournaments grows increasingly competitive.
Tunisia climbed three places to 49th, while Cameroon, South Africa, and Mali rounded out Africa’s top 10.
On the global stage, Spain reclaimed top spot for the first time since 2014 following their UEFA Euro 2024 triumph, dislodging Argentina, who fell to third.
France now occupy second, while Germany slipped to 12th after a shock qualifying defeat to Slovakia, who surged 10 places to 42nd.
Other notable movers include Paraguay (37th), Canada (26th), Uganda (82nd), The Gambia (115th), Madagascar (108th), and Kosovo (91st), each recording their best-ever rankings.
The next FIFA rankings update will be published on 23 October.
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.
