- Fall Behind Morocco, Algeria, Senegal
By Nwosa Hamilton
Nigeria’s Super Eagles have dropped one spot to 44th in the latest FIFA Men’s World Rankings, released on Thursday, despite an impressive unbeaten streak in recent international friendlies.
The slight decline has sparked concern among fans as the three-time African champions now rank fifth on the continent, trailing Morocco (12th), Senegal (18th), Egypt (34th), and Algeria (36th).
The Super Eagles’ dip in the global standings comes despite their recent triumph at the 2025 Unity Cup in London and a commendable 1-1 draw against Russia in a friendly at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium.
Globally, Argentina retained its top spot despite losing 0.8 points, followed closely by Spain, which climbed to second place after gaining 12.45 points.
France sits third, while England and Brazil round out the top five. Portugal and the Netherlands each climbed one spot to 6th and 7th respectively, with Portugal posting the highest points gain among the top ten with +20.45.
Germany, on the other hand, dropped one spot to 9th despite maintaining the same point total, while Italy slipped two places to 11th after losing 15.73 points.
Mexico made the biggest jump within the top 20, climbing four places to 13th with a significant 42.79-point gain. The USA and Norway also saw notable improvements, each gaining over 20 points.
At the bottom of the table, San Marino remains the lowest-ranked team at 210th with 738.24 points.
FIFA updates its world rankings periodically based on international match results. The rankings influence tournament seedings and provide a snapshot of global football standings.
