Nigeria’s Super Eagles have fallen to 45th place in the latest FIFA men’s world rankings released on Thursday, dropping one spot from their previous position. The slip also saw them lose their place among Africa’s top five teams.
The decline follows a string of disappointing results in recent matches. The home-based team endured a disastrous campaign at the African Nations Championship (CHAN), while the main squad struggled in World Cup qualifiers — narrowly edging Rwanda in Uyo before settling for a draw against South Africa.
The poor performances resulted in a negative points tally during the review period, with Nigeria’s fifth position in Africa overtaken by Ivory Coast.
AFCON 2024 silver medallists, the Super Eagles, now trail Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, and Ivory Coast in the continental rankings. Morocco remains Africa’s highest-ranked side, holding 11th place globally after reaching the 2022 World Cup semi-finals.
Elsewhere, Zimbabwe recorded the steepest drop worldwide, slipping nine places to 125th. On the global stage, Spain climbed to number one, replacing Argentina, who fell to third, while France moved into second place.
In women’s football, Spain also overtook the United States as the top-ranked team, while Nigeria’s Super Falcons maintained their 36th position globally.
Melissa Enoch
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