Nigeria’s Super Eagles have retained their 26th position in the latest FIFA men’s world rankings but have slipped to fourth in Africa, according to the rankings released by FIFA on Monday.
The three-time African champions were unable to improve their standing after their most recent outing, a 2-1 international friendly defeat to Portugal in June.
While their overall points tally was enough to keep them in 26th place globally, results involving other African nations reshaped the continental rankings.
The biggest beneficiary was Egypt, who climbed to third in Africa after an impressive run at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Pharaohs advanced to the Round of 16 before bowing out in a thrilling 3-2 defeat to eventual finalists Argentina, a performance that earned them valuable ranking points and lifted them above Nigeria.
Morocco remain Africa’s highest-ranked team and climbed one place in the global standings from seventh to sixth after another strong showing at the World Cup, where they reached the quarter-finals.
Senegal continue to occupy second place in Africa despite dropping three places in the global rankings, while Algeria complete the continent’s top five after slipping one position worldwide.
At the top of the global rankings, newly crowned FIFA World Cup champions Spain reclaimed the number one spot after defeating Argentina 1-0 in extra time in the tournament final.
The victory secured Spain’s second FIFA World Cup title, adding to their UEFA European Championship triumph in 2024 and reinforcing their status as one of the world’s dominant football nations.
Argentina, who failed to defend the title they won in 2022, slipped to second in the world rankings. France, England and Brazil complete the global top five.
The FIFA Men’s World Ranking is calculated using a points-based system that rewards results in competitive matches and international friendlies, with greater weight given to fixtures played in major tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup and continental championships.
The next edition of the FIFA men’s world rankings is scheduled for release on 7 October 2026.
