On Thursday, April 3, Nigeria’s Super Eagles dropped out of the top five African teams in the latest FIFA rankings, with Cote d’Ivoire moving ahead of them into the fifth spot.
The rankings showed that Nigeria, three-time Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) champions, now sits in sixth place on the continent. This change reflects the Super Eagles’ recent inconsistency, especially since their tough loss to Cote d’Ivoire in the AFCON final in February.
In their last 11 matches across all competitions, Nigeria has won only four, drawn four, and lost three. The team started their 2025 campaign strong with a 2-0 victory over Rwanda in the World Cup qualifiers but failed to keep up the momentum, drawing 1-1 against Zimbabwe in March.
Meanwhile, Cote d’Ivoire has been in great form, winning eight of their last 11 games. Their recent 1-0 victories over Burundi and Gambia helped them stay on top of their World Cup qualifying group, pushing them into Africa’s top five, alongside Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, and Algeria.
Nigeria’s global ranking improves slightly
Though the Super Eagles slipped in Africa’s rankings, they moved up one spot globally, rising from 44th to 43rd. However, this small improvement wasn’t enough to keep them among the continent’s top teams.
Argentina remains the top-ranked team in the world, followed by France, England, Brazil, and Spain. Other top global teams include the Netherlands, Portugal, Belgium, Italy, and Germany.
Africa’s Top 10 FIFA Rankings:
- Morocco
- Senegal
- Egypt
- Algeria
- Cote d’Ivoire
- Nigeria
- Tunisia
- Cameroon
- Mali
- South Africa
