The Nigerian national football team has slipped one position to 44th in the world in FIFA’s newly released rankings, a surprising decline that comes despite the team actually gaining 2.91 ranking points to reach a total of 1484.26. This paradoxical situation – where improved points don’t guarantee better positioning – reflects the competitive nature of global football rankings and the stronger performances of other national teams during the same period.
The slight drop follows Nigeria’s recent mixed results in international fixtures, including two hard-fought draws and one victory in their most recent matches. While these performances earned them additional ranking points, they weren’t enough to maintain their previous 43rd position as other nations made more significant gains.
Key Ranking Changes
✔ African Standings: Now trail Morocco (12th) and Senegal (17th) in continental hierarchy
✔ Global Context:
- Argentina retains top spot despite minor points loss
- Spain jumps to 2nd after EURO 2024 success (+12.45 pts)
- Mexico surges 4 places to 13th (+42.79 pts) – biggest top-20 climber
✔ Regional Rivals:
- Côte d’Ivoire (45th) drops below Nigeria after poor results
- Algeria (34th) and Egypt (36th) maintain African dominance

Why This Matters
🔹 Impacts 2026 World Cup seeding preparations
🔹 Reflects stagnant progress under current coaching staff
🔹 Highlights need for stronger results in upcoming AFCON qualifiers
FIFA Ranking Mechanics:
- Updated monthly based on international match results
- Considers match importance, opponent strength, and margin of victory
- Nigeria’s last competitive win: 2-1 vs Ghana in March 2024
Road Ahead for Super Eagles
✅ September: AFCON 2025 qualifiers resume
✅ October: Potential high-profile friendly to boost ranking
✅ November: Final competitive matches before next ranking update