Super Falcons drop seven places in latest FIFA ranking

Nigeria’s Super Falcons have dropped seven places to 43rd in the latest FIFA Women’s World Ranking released on Tuesday, October 20, following their disappointing campaign at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).

The decline represents a setback for the 10-time African champions, who occupied 36th position globally in FIFA’s previous ranking update in June and entered the continental competition as Africa’s highest-ranked women’s national team.

Nigeria’s latest position follows a difficult tournament in Morocco, where the Super Falcons failed to reach the semi-finals for the first time in their WAFCON history.

The Nigerian team began the competition with a 3-2 defeat to Malawi before responding with a 1-0 victory over Zambia and a convincing 6-2 win against Egypt to progress from the group stage.

Under Randy Waldrum, the Super Falcons also suffered their biggest-ever FIFA ranking points decline on August 5, 2022, losing 69.33 points and dropping seven places from 39th to 46th globally.

However, their campaign ended in disappointment following a 1-0 quarter-final defeat to Cameroon, denying the team an opportunity to compete for the continental title.

The Falcons subsequently suffered another setback against South Africa in the classification stage, extending a difficult run that undermined their ambitions at the tournament.

Nigeria’s struggles continued in their bid to secure qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, as they lost 2-1 to South Africa in the playoff for a place at the global competition.

The defeat compounded the disappointment surrounding the national team, with Nigeria facing the prospect of missing the Women’s World Cup for the first time.

The disappointing campaign also triggered changes within the team’s technical structure, with the Nigeria Football Federation dismissing head coach Justine Madugu and his technical crew and announcing plans for a task force to examine the team’s performance.

Despite the significant drop in the global standings, Nigeria remain Africa’s highest-ranked women’s national team in the latest update, according to the ranking positions supplied in the report.

South Africa also experienced a decline, dropping two places to 59th globally, while Cameroon climbed nine positions to 62nd following their progress at WAFCON.

Morocco occupy 64th place, while Ghana and Zambia are ranked 65th and 70th respectively after each dropped five places.

Côte d’Ivoire, Algeria, Senegal and Mali complete the reported top 10 teams in Africa, highlighting the competitive nature of women’s football across the continent.

Nigeria’s position at the top of the African rankings provides some consolation after a tournament that fell well short of expectations. However, the latest update underlines the importance of improved performances in upcoming international fixtures.

The Super Falcons had recorded victories over Comoros in their two-legged Olympic qualifying tie, but those results have not prevented a decline in their standing following the broader assessment of international performances reflected in the latest ranking update.

Globally, Spain lead the women’s rankings, ahead of the United States, Germany, England and Japan. France, Brazil, Sweden, Canada and Denmark complete the reported top 10.

The October ranking update serves as another reminder of the need for Nigeria to rebuild momentum following a disappointing year, with attention now turning to the team’s technical direction and preparations for future international assignments.