Nigeria’s Super Eagles have climbed four places to 41st in the latest FIFA men’s world rankings, reclaiming a spot among Africa’s top five teams.
Gatekeepers News reports that released on Friday, the new rankings show a notable improvement for Nigeria, who moved up from 45th to 41st globally, overtaking Ivory Coast, now ranked 42nd.
The Super Eagles’ rise follows an impressive run in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, which included a 2–1 victory over Lesotho in Polokwane and a 4–0 thrashing of Benin Republic in Uyo. These results not only boosted Nigeria’s ranking points but also secured their spot in the continental playoffs for the 2026 tournament.
Nigeria are now set to face Gabon, ranked 77th in the world and 15th in Africa, for a place in the final playoff round, where they could meet either Cameroon or DR Congo.
On the continental scene, Morocco remain Africa’s highest-ranked team despite slipping one spot to 12th in the world. Senegal follow in second place (18th globally), while Egypt (32nd) and Algeria (35th) complete Africa’s top four, with Nigeria rounding out the top five.
The rest of Africa’s top 10 includes Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Mali, Cameroon, and South Africa.
Globally, Spain remain the world’s top-ranked team after securing back-to-back World Cup qualifying wins over Georgia and Bulgaria. Argentina, the reigning World Cup champions, climbed back into second place following friendly victories over Venezuela and Puerto Rico, while France slipped to third after a 2–2 draw with Iceland following their 3–0 win against Azerbaijan.
