In the latest FIFA World Rankings released on Thursday, the Super Eagles of Nigeria have experienced a further decline, dropping to 45th place worldwide, and remaining 6th in Africa.
This disappointing trend continues amid a lacklustre performance in the 2026 World Cup Qualifying campaign, led by Coach Eric Chelle.
The latest rankings mark a drop from 44th to 45th, following a previous decline from 43rd to 44th in August.
This continued slide reflects the team’s ongoing struggles on the international stage.
As it stands, the Super Eagles sit behind several African nations including Morocco (1st), Senegal (2nd), Egypt (3rd), Algeria (4th), and Côte d’Ivoire (5th).
Their upcoming opponent in the qualifiers, Lesotho has fallen to 153rd place. Conversely, Benin Republic, another rival for the Super Eagles next month, has moved up to 93rd.
South Africa’s Bafana Bafana, who recently held the Super Eagles to a 1-1 draw, have climbed to 55th position, bolstering their chances of qualifying for the World Cup.
At the pinnacle of the latest rankings, Spain made a significant leap to 1st place, a position they last held in June 2014. Spain’s rise comes at the expense of Argentina, which has dropped to 3rd after falling two places.
France, the team that lost to Argentina in the 2022 World Cup final, now occupies 2nd place after rising one position.
Notable changes further down the list include Portugal, Croatia, and Italy, all of which have moved up by one spot to 5th, 9th, and 10th, respectively.
This shift comes as Brazil slips to 6th and Germany plummets to 12th, their lowest position outside the top 10 since October 2024, following a defeat to Slovakia in their World Cup qualifier.
Morocco, now 11th, is leading the pack just outside the top 10, having won eight of their last nine matches since the last ranking in July.
