Nigeria remain fourth in Africa after Egypt’s World Cup run, while Spain reclaim top spot following their title triumph
Nigeria’s Super Eagles, coached by Eric Chelle, have retained 26th position in the latest FIFA Men’s World Rankings released on Monday, but slipped to fourth among African nations after Egypt’s impressive run at the 2026 World Cup.
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The Super Eagles earned 1,585.2 points to maintain their global position, staying ahead of Turkey, Australia, Algeria, Canada and Ivory Coast, who occupy 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th and 31st positions respectively.
The latest Super Eagles FIFA Ranking comes as Nigeria continue to endure the disappointment of missing the expanded 48-team World Cup, with the team yet to feature in competitive action since June.
Nigeria last played in June, when Chelle’s side suffered a 2-1 defeat against former European champions Portugal in an international friendly.
The country’s decline in the African standings was largely influenced by Egypt’s progress at the World Cup.
The Pharaohs advanced to the Round of 16 before losing 3-2 to Argentina, a result that nevertheless propelled Egypt to third place among Africa’s highest-ranked teams.
Morocco remain the continent’s leading side after reaching the quarter-finals of the tournament. The Atlas Lions also improved by one place globally, moving from seventh to sixth.
Senegal retained second position in Africa despite falling three places in the overall world rankings, while Algeria dropped one place globally but remained fifth on the continent.
Nigeria’s fourth-place position in Africa also highlights the gap between the Super Eagles and the continent’s leading teams, despite the country’s strong global ranking.
The Super Eagles remain the second-highest-ranked nation among teams that failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. Only Denmark, ranked 21st globally, sits above Nigeria among the tournament’s absentees.
Nigeria’s absence from the competition has attracted criticism and disappointment from figures within the international football community.
England and Chelsea great John Terry was among those to express regret over the Super Eagles’ failure to qualify, describing their absence as a significant loss to a tournament that expanded to 48 participating nations for the first time.
Nigeria’s qualification campaign ended in painful fashion after the team finished second behind South Africa in Group C of the CAF qualifiers.
South Africa secured automatic qualification, leaving Nigeria to navigate the playoffs. Chelle’s team defeated Gabon in the semi-final to keep their hopes alive before suffering a decisive setback against the Democratic Republic of Congo in the final.
The Super Eagles eventually lost the playoff final on penalties, condemning Nigeria to a second consecutive World Cup absence after the team also failed to qualify for the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
The Nigeria Football Federation subsequently challenged the qualification of the Democratic Republic of Congo, alleging that ineligible players had been used during the campaign. The appeal was, however, dismissed.
At the summit of the global rankings, newly crowned world champions Spain returned to the number one position, with Argentina dropping to second.
France, England and Brazil completed the global top five, reflecting the strength of the teams that continue to dominate international football.
For Nigeria, the latest ranking offers a mixed picture.
The Super Eagles remain among the world’s leading 30 national teams, but their fall to fourth in Africa underlines the cost of missing major tournaments while other continental rivals accumulate ranking points through high-profile World Cup matches.
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The next FIFA Men’s World Rankings are scheduled to be released on October 7, 2026, when Nigeria will have another opportunity to consolidate its position and begin rebuilding momentum ahead of future competitive fixtures.
Quadri Olaitan is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, public affairs, and human-interest stories.
