Soccer
Nigeria’s Super Eagles have remained 26th in the latest FIFA Men’s World Rankings released after the end of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Soccernet.ng reports.
However the three-time African champions have slipped one place in Africa to fourth following Egypt’s impressive campaign in the tournament.
The Super Eagles were unable to qualify for the expanded 48-team World Cup after finishing behind South Africa in their qualifying group before losing to DR Congo in the playoffs. Because Nigeria did not play any World Cup matches, their global ranking stayed unchanged while countries competing in the tournament gained or lost points based on their performances.
Although Nigeria held onto 26th place in the world, Egypt moved above them into third place in Africa after reaching the Round of 16 in the World Cup. The Pharaohs enjoyed their best World Cup campaign in history before suffering a narrow 3-2 defeat to Argentina in the knockout stage.
Morocco remain Africa’s highest-ranked nation after another outstanding World Cup, climbing to sixth in the world following their run to the quarter-finals. Senegal stayed second in Africa despite slipping three places globally to 18th, while Egypt now occupy third on the continent and 24th in the world.
Nigeria are now fourth in Africa, with Algeria completing the continent’s top five in 29th place despite dropping one position worldwide.
At the top of the global rankings, Spain reclaimed the No. 1 spot after defeating Argentina 1-0 in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final. Argentina slipped to second, while France and England completed the world’s top four.
Despite missing the World Cup, Nigeria remain one of the highest-ranked countries that did not qualify for the tournament. Their position was helped by finishing third at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and a productive first half of 2026, during which Eric Chelle’s side lifted the Unity Cup invitational tournament in London.
Soccer AFCON qualifiers now become Super Eagles’ biggest opportunity
With the World Cup now over, the Super Eagles’ attention turns fully to qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, where strong results could improve both their continental and global rankings before FIFA releases its next rankings in early October.
Nigeria enjoyed a busy international schedule earlier this year. They defeated Iran 2-1 on March 27 in the Four-Nation Invitational before drawing 2-2 with Jordan four days later. In May, the Super Eagles won the Unity Cup by beating Zimbabwe 2-0 before producing an impressive 3-0 victory over Jamaica in the final.
They then faced stronger European opposition in June, drawing 2-2 against Poland before suffering a narrow 2-1 defeat to Portugal in their final international fixture before the World Cup began.
Those six matches helped Nigeria remain active during the first half of the year despite not taking part in World Cup qualifying playoffs or the finals themselves. However, they currently have no official matches scheduled for the rest of the summer as the Nigeria Football Federation prepares for the next international window.
The focus will soon shift to the 2027 AFCON qualifiers, which begin during the September 21 to October 6 FIFA international window. Nigeria have been drawn in Group L alongside Madagascar, Guinea-Bissau and Tanzania.
The qualification campaign will be completed across three international windows. Matchdays 1 and 2 will be played between September 21 and October 6, 2026. Matchdays 3 and 4 are scheduled for November 9 to 17, while the final two rounds will take place from March 22 to 30, 2027.
The top two teams in each group normally qualify for the tournament. However, Tanzania are one of the co-hosts of the 2027 AFCON alongside Kenya and Uganda, meaning they already have a guaranteed place at the finals. If Tanzania finish inside the top two in Group L, only one of the remaining teams – Nigeria, Madagascar or Guinea-Bissau – will qualify automatically.
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