Just hours before the kickoff of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, FIFA released its latest men’s world rankings, with Nigeria’s Super Eagles maintaining their place as Africa’s third-highest-ranked team and 26th in the world sportcabal.com.ng reports.
The latest rankings underline Nigeria’s consistency under head coach Eric Chelle despite the disappointment of missing out on a place at the Mundial. The three-time African champions remain behind only Morocco and Senegal on the continent, while long-time rivals South Africa and Ghana continue to trail significantly.
Nigeria’s rise in the rankings can largely be traced to their impressive campaign at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. Following a remarkable run to a third-place finish, the Super Eagles climbed from 38th to 26th in the global rankings, reaching their highest position in five years.
The Super Eagles enjoyed a perfect start to that AFCON campaign, recording consecutive victories over Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda in the group stage. Their momentum continued in the knockout rounds with wins over Mozambique and Algeria before Morocco ended their title ambitions in a dramatic penalty shootout in the semi-finals.
Chelle’s men responded positively by defeating Egypt in the third-place playoff to secure the bronze medal and cement their return among Africa’s elite football nations.
Since then, Nigeria have largely maintained their upward trajectory. Victories over Jordan, Zimbabwe and Jamaica, alongside draws against Iraq and Poland, helped preserve their position in the FIFA rankings. Their recent 2-1 defeat to Portugal did little damage to their standing, with the Super Eagles remaining comfortably inside the world’s top 30.
World Cup Absence Could Impact Nigeria’s Ranking
While Nigeria remain firmly established as Africa’s third-ranked side, their absence from the 2026 FIFA World Cup could have consequences in future ranking updates.
With no World Cup matches to play, the Super Eagles will be unable to accumulate ranking points during the tournament. That opens the door for several African nations participating in the competition to close the gap.
Morocco, Africa’s highest-ranked nation and seventh in the world, will be looking to strengthen their position, while Senegal also have an opportunity to pull further away from the chasing pack.
Algeria, Egypt and Côte d’Ivoire currently sit directly behind Nigeria in Africa’s rankings and could make significant gains with strong performances on football’s biggest stage.
Cameroon, Tunisia, DR Congo and Mali complete Africa’s top ten nations. South Africa, who begin their World Cup campaign against co-hosts Mexico, occupy 11th place in Africa and 60th globally, while Ghana sit 14th on the continent and 73rd in the world.
Although both South Africa and Ghana have the opportunity to earn valuable ranking points during the tournament, they remain some distance behind Nigeria. It would take an exceptional World Cup campaign for either nation to seriously challenge the Super Eagles’ current standing.
Argentina Return To The Summit
At the top of the global rankings, reigning world champions Argentina have reclaimed the number-one position. Led by Lionel Messi, the Albiceleste will head into the tournament as one of the favourites to retain the title they won in Qatar four years ago.
Spain occupy second place, while France drop to third. England remain fourth, followed by Portugal in fifth and Brazil in sixth.
Morocco continue to fly Africa’s flag among the world’s elite, sitting seventh overall, while the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany complete the top ten.
As the 2026 FIFA World Cup gets underway, Nigeria may not be part of the action, but the Super Eagles remain one of Africa’s leading football powers. The challenge now for Chelle and his players is to maintain that status and continue building towards future continental and global success.
