January 19, (THEWILL) — The Super Eagles of Nigeria have advanced to third place in Africa according to the latest FIFA Men’s World Rankings, released this week. The 12 places the team climbed to reach 26th follows a commendable performance at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, where they finished in third place.
Senegal and Morocco, finalists at the recent AFCON tournament, now lead Nigeria in the African rankings, holding 19th and 11th positions globally. Algeria and Egypt complete the top five on the continent, while DR Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, South Africa, Mali, and Tunisia round out Africa’s top 10.
Morocco remains the highest-ranked African team worldwide, with Senegal close behind. Nigeria’s continental progress was underpinned by a strong AFCON campaign, featuring six victories in seven matches. A notable 4-2 win over Egypt in the third-place playoff showed their form, although a semi-final defeat to hosts Morocco on penalties ended their title ambitions.
However, the failure of Eric Chelle’s charges to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, risks undermining future ranking improvements.
Globally, Spain retains the top spot, with Argentina and France occupying second and third places respectively. England, Brazil, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Croatia complete the world’s top 10.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
