The Super Eagles of Nigeria have climbed four places to 41st in the world and fifth in Africa in the latest FIFA men’s rankings released on Friday, Bold Sports reports.
Nigeria’s rise comes on the back of consecutive victories in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, a 2-1 win over Lesotho at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane and a convincing 4-0 triumph over Benin Republic at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo.
The results proved crucial as they not only boosted Nigeria’s ranking points but also secured their place in the African playoffs for the 2026 World Cup. The three-time African champions will now face Gabon for a place in the final playoff round against either Cameroon or DR Congo.
On the continental stage, Nigeria’s upward movement sees them return to Africa’s top five, while Morocco remain the continent’s highest-ranked team despite dropping to 12th globally. Senegal stay second in Africa and 18th in the world, with Egypt and Algeria following in third and fourth places after climbing to 32nd and 35th respectively.
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Globally, European champions Spain continue to lead the FIFA world rankings, while reigning World Cup winners Argentina have moved up to second. France have slipped to third, with England and Portugal maintaining their fourth and fifth positions.
The Netherlands have climbed to sixth, overtaking Brazil who dropped to seventh. Belgium, Italy, and Germany complete the top ten.
Elsewhere, Niger recorded the biggest jump of the month, moving up nine places to 108th, while Greece suffered the steepest fall, dropping eight spots to 48th. Sweden lost the most points following successive defeats in World Cup qualifying, whereas the Faroe Islands earned the highest points gained over the period.
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