Despite falling short in the African World Cup Qualifying Play-off after losing 4–3 on penalties to DR Congo, Nigeria’s Super Eagles have climbed three places to 38th in the latest FIFA Rankings.
FIFA released the updated rankings on Wednesday following the conclusion of the latest 2026 World Cup qualifying matches, which included 149 games, 79 of them friendlies.
Prior to the update, Nigeria was ranked 41st globally and fifth in Africa.
The rise is largely credited to Nigeria’s 4–1 victory over Gabon in the qualifiers.
Their eventual defeat to DR Congo, decided by penalties, is officially recorded as a draw in FIFA’s system.
Super Eagles remains among Africa’s top five teams in the latest rankings, behind Morocco (11), Senegal (19), Egypt (34), and Algeria (35).
Globally, Spain, Argentina, France, and England maintained their top-four positions, while Brazil moved up to fifth, overtaking the Netherlands and Portugal. Germany and Croatia complete the top 10.
