Nigeria’s Super Eagles have slipped further in the latest FIFA Men’s World Rankings, falling to 45th globally and once again dropping out of Africa’s top five.
The three-time African champions were ranked 43rd in April and 44th in July, but have now dropped another spot in the September update.
This latest decline places Nigeria sixth on the continent, trailing behind several long-standing rivals.
Morocco remains Africa’s highest-ranked team, sitting 11th in the world after securing an early qualification for next year’s FIFA World Cup.
Senegal follows as the continent’s second-best side at 18th globally, with Egypt (35th) and Algeria (38th) rounding out the top four.
Côte d’Ivoire, buoyed by a consistent run of results, has climbed to 44th in the world, overtaking Nigeria to claim fifth place in Africa. Tunisia also made gains, rising three spots to 49th.
Cameroon, South Africa, and Mali complete Africa’s top ten.
Nigeria’s continued slide is closely tied to their recent form, with the team managing just two wins in their last five matches, alongside two losses and a draw.
The results have left them struggling in Group C of the Africa World Cup qualifiers, where they currently sit third behind South Africa and the Benin Republic, with just two matches remaining.
Globally, Spain has returned to the top of the FIFA rankings for the first time since 2014, following their UEFA EURO 2024 triumph. They have overtaken world champions Argentina, who drop to third, while France moves up to second place.
Germany suffered one of the steepest drops in the rankings, falling to 12th after a shock World Cup qualifier defeat to Slovakia, a result that propelled the Slovaks ten places up to 42nd.
