Nigeria’s Super Eagles have slipped to 45th in the latest FIFA Men’s World Rankings released on Thursday, continuing their downward trend after a 1-1 draw with South Africa in the World Cup qualifiers.
The team, led by Eric Chelle, had earlier defeated Rwanda 1-0 but failed to build on that momentum in Bloemfontein.
The September update represents a one-place fall from July, when the Eagles dropped to 44th after sliding from 43rd in April.
Nigeria falls behind African rivals
On the African continent, Nigeria now sits sixth, behind Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, and Côte d’Ivoire.
Côte d’Ivoire climbed to 44th globally, pushing Nigeria down, while Tunisia rose three places to 49th.
South Africa also moved up to 55th after securing four points from their matches against Lesotho and Nigeria.
Lesotho, who face the Super Eagles in October, now rank 153rd, while Benin Republic climbed to 93rd.
Global shake-up at the top
Spain returned to the number one spot following their UEFA EURO 2024 triumph, knocking Argentina down to third.
France moved into second place, while England held onto fourth. Portugal broke into the top five, pushing Brazil out.
Germany slipped three spots to 12th after a shock defeat to Slovakia, who jumped ten places to 42nd.
Nigeria eyes recovery in October
Despite the setback, the Super Eagles will have another chance to improve their ranking when they face Lesotho and Benin Republic in the next round of qualifiers.
Analysts say the October fixtures could determine Nigeria’s momentum heading into the 2026 FIFA World Cup race.
The next FIFA Men’s World Rankings will be released on October 23, offering a fresh benchmark for Nigeria’s football standing.
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