NPFL ranking drop sees Nigeria’s top league fall to 91st globally as poor continental performances fuel concern over competitiveness

The Nigeria Professional Football League has suffered a major setback after sliding to 91st position in the latest global league rankings released by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics, highlighting the growing impact of the NPFL ranking drop on Nigeria’s football reputation.

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The new ranking represents a fall of 15 places from the league’s 76th position in 2024. In the 2025 assessment, the NPFL accumulated 171.75 points, leaving it outside the top 90 leagues worldwide for the first time in recent years.

The IFFHS rankings are determined largely by how clubs perform in continental and international competitions rather than domestic fixtures alone.

Analysts say the NPFL ranking drop is closely linked to the poor and inconsistent outings of Nigerian clubs in African tournaments.

While Nigerian teams have struggled to make deep runs in CAF competitions, leagues in other African countries have continued to post stronger results, steadily improving their global standing.

Across the continent, Egypt’s Premier League maintained its status as Africa’s number one league for the sixth consecutive year. Morocco’s Botola League also retained its place among the continent’s elite competitions.

South Africa’s Premiership recorded a notable return to Africa’s top three leagues for the first time in 21 years, while Algeria and Tunisia completed the continent’s top five rankings.

Despite the NPFL ranking drop, Nigeria remains 12th in the Confederation of African Football five year coefficient with 21 points.

This ranking still guarantees the country two slots each in the CAF Champions League and CAF Confederation Cup.

Globally, European leagues continued to dominate the football landscape. Twelve of the top 20 leagues and 29 of the top 50 leagues came from Europe, underlining the continent’s sustained strength.

South America placed five leagues in the top 20, while Asia had two. CONCACAF and Oceania recorded one league each among the world’s leading competitions.

The English Premier League retained its position as the best league in the world, followed by Spain’s La Liga and Brazil’s Serie A.

Italy’s Serie A slipped slightly but remained ahead of Germany’s Bundesliga, while France’s Ligue 1 climbed to sixth place.

Football observers say the NPFL ranking drop reflects long standing challenges within the domestic game.

These include weak club performances in continental competitions, poor infrastructure, and underdeveloped player pathways.

Tunde Adeyemi, a football analyst, said the Nigerian league still has huge potential but needs urgent reforms to reverse its downward trend.

He stressed that better planning, increased investment, and improved club competitiveness in Africa are essential.

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With leagues in Egypt, Morocco and South Africa growing stronger, pressure is mounting on the NPFL to raise standards, enhance youth development and ensure Nigerian clubs can compete more effectively on the continental stage.