Nigeria Eyes AFCON Momentum After Climbing 3 Places in FIFA World Rankings

Nigeria has moved up three places to 38th in the latest FIFA men’s world rankings, a rebound boosted by the Super Eagles’ recent results despite missing out on the 2026 World Cup.

The new table, released on Wednesday, reflects 149 international fixtures played since the previous update. Nigeria now sits on 1,502.46 points, placing the team fifth in Africa behind Morocco, Senegal, Egypt and Algeria.

The rise follows a 4–1 win over Gabon and a 1–1 draw with DR Congo in the African play-off—matches that ended in a 4–3 penalty loss but still earned enough ranking points to lift the team.

Morocco continue to lead the continent with 1,713.12 points, while Senegal remain 19th globally. Egypt and Algeria occupy 34th and 35th, with Tunisia directly behind Nigeria in 40th. Ivory Coast and DR Congo round out the region’s top performers.

Globally, Spain hold on to first place, followed by Argentina and France. Brazil climbed two spots to fifth after a strong international window, pushing Portugal and the Netherlands down the order.

Nigeria’s missed World Cup ticket stemmed from a tense play-off in Rabat, where Frank Onyeka scored early before Elia Meschack’s equaliser forced a shoot-out defeat that dashed hopes of reaching the expanded 48-team tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

The new rankings arrive as the Super part Eagles prepare for December’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco—offering a chance to consolidate their gains or push further up the global order with a strong continental campaign.

Elsewhere, Croatia broke into the top 10 after Italy slipped to 12th, while the United States rose to 14th. Uzbekistan returned to the top 50 for the first time since 2016, and Malta, the Philippines, Turkmenistan and Kosovo all recorded notable upward movements as teams completed World Cup qualifying fixtures.