Nigeria’s Super Falcons have dropped seven places to 43rd in the latest FIFA Women’s World Rankings released on Tuesday, October 20, but remain the highest-ranked team in Africa.
The ten-time African champions were ranked 36th globally in the previous edition released on June 16. However, a disappointing run of results at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) and their subsequent failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup have contributed to their decline.
Nigeria endured a difficult campaign at the WAFCON hosted by Morocco, suffering a shock 3-2 defeat to Malawi in their opening group-stage fixture.
The Super Falcons recovered with a narrow 1-0 victory over Zambia before thrashing Egypt 6-2 to secure progression to the knockout stage.
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Their campaign, however, ended in disappointment in the quarterfinals, where they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Cameroon. Maéva Nyadjou scored the decisive goal in the 19th minute to send the Super Falcons out of the competition.
The defeat left Nigeria needing to overcome South Africa in a subsequent playoff to keep their hopes of qualifying for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup alive.
However, the Super Falcons suffered another setback, losing 2-1 to Banyana Banyana in a result that effectively ended their hopes of reaching the global tournament.
Nigeria have since regrouped under interim manager Augustine Eguavoen, returning to winning ways with an emphatic 7-0 aggregate victory over Comoros in the second round of the LA 2028 Olympic qualifiers.
Despite that recovery, the Super Falcons suffered the biggest points loss in the latest FIFA Women’s World Rankings, dropping 83.54 points alongside their seven-place decline.
Super Falcons Remain Africa’s Number One
Despite their slide in the global rankings, Nigeria remain the top-ranked women’s national team on the African continent.
South Africa, who also dropped in the latest update, fell to 59th globally but retained second place in Africa. Cameroon, winners of the 2026 WAFCON, climbed to 62nd in the world to occupy third place on the continent.
Morocco and Ghana complete Africa’s top five, ranking 64th and 65th globally, respectively.
Spain Retain Top Spot as Denmark Enter Top 10
There was little movement among the leading teams in the global rankings, with the top nine positions remaining unchanged.
Spain continue to occupy first place, followed by the United States, Germany, England and Japan in the top five. France remain sixth, while Brazil, Sweden and Canada retain seventh, eighth and ninth positions, respectively.
Denmark were the only new entrants into the top 10, climbing two places to move into 10th position. The Netherlands, who previously occupied that spot, dropped one place to 11th.
Malawi Record Biggest Rise
Malawi were among the biggest beneficiaries of the latest rankings update after an impressive showing at the 2026 WAFCON.
The team, who reached the tournament’s final on their debut, climbed 49 places to 104th globally and 12th in Africa. They also recorded the biggest points gain in the latest update, adding 158.44 points to their tally.
Egypt, meanwhile, suffered the steepest decline, dropping 14 places to 113th globally and 17th in Africa after losing all three of their group-stage matches at the WAFCON.
The next official update of the FIFA Women’s World Rankings is scheduled for December 7, 2026.
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