Nigeria’s Super Eagles have dropped four places to 30th in the latest FIFA Men’s World Ranking following a difficult international window.
The latest ranking, released on Wednesday, October 7, sees Nigeria fall from 26th in the world and fourth in Africa to sixth on the continent.
The decline comes after Eric Chelle’s side endured a mixed run of results during the latest international break.
Nigeria began their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign with a 2-1 comeback victory over Madagascar in Uyo. George Ilenikhena and Moses Usor scored their first senior international goals as the Super Eagles recovered from an early setback to claim three points.
However, the team suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat to Guinea-Bissau in Bissau in their next qualifier, with the result having a major impact on Nigeria’s ranking points.
The Super Eagles then ended the window with a 3-3 draw against Russia in Nizhny Novgorod. Nigeria had trailed by two goals before fighting back to earn a share of the spoils in the international friendly.
Despite avoiding defeat against Russia, Nigeria’s overall results were not enough to prevent another slide in the FIFA rankings.
The latest drop also means the Super Eagles have now fallen out of Africa’s top five.
Morocco remain Africa’s highest-ranked team and sit seventh globally, while Senegal are second on the continent. Egypt, Algeria and Côte d’Ivoire complete the five teams ahead of Nigeria.
Guinea-Bissau were among the biggest movers during the ranking period, gaining the most points after their strong results, including the 3-0 victory over Nigeria.
Nigeria’s latest ranking is another warning sign for a team hoping to rebuild momentum under Chelle. The Super Eagles have now gone through four consecutive ranking windows without gaining points, according to TheCable. Their last points increase came in January after their run at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, where they reached the semi-finals and won the bronze medal.
At the top of the global ranking, Spain remain number one following their 2026 FIFA World Cup triumph. Argentina are second, with France third, England fourth and Portugal fifth. Brazil dropped to sixth, while Morocco moved to seventh.
The next FIFA Men’s World Ranking is scheduled for release on November 18, 2026.
