Nigeria drop eight places in world ranking after dismal performance

Nigeria’s senior football team, the Super Eagles have dropped eight places in the latest FIFA world ranking, released on Thursday.

According to the rankings posted on FIFA’s website, the Eagles fell from 30th to 38th globally and now rank fifth in Africa. Leading the African rankings are Morocco (1st), Senegal (2nd), Egypt (3rd), and AFCON champions Côte d’Ivoire (4th).

The drop in ranking is largely attributed to the team’s underwhelming performances in matchdays 3 and 4 of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin Republic.

The Eagles drew 1-1 with South Africa at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo and subsequently lost 2-1 to the Cheetahs of Benin Republic in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

Despite these results, South Africa remained steady at 59th in the rankings, while Gernot Rohr-led Benin Republic climbed to 91st.

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With four games played in the qualifiers, three-time AFCON champions Nigeria are in fifth place in Group C with three points.

The Super Eagles will resume their World Cup qualifying campaign in March 2025 against Rwanda and Zimbabwe, ranked 131st and 129th respectively in the latest standings.

Meanwhile, the top three positions in the global rankings remain unchanged. Argentina (1st) holds the top spot, followed by France (2nd) and Belgium (3rd). Brazil (4th, up 1) and England (5th, down 1) have swapped places.

Portugal (6th), the Netherlands (7th), and Spain (8th) have maintained their positions within the top ten, while Croatia (9th, up 1) has overtaken Italy (10th, down 1), which still retains a place among the leading teams.

The next FIFA world ranking will be published on July 18, 2024.

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