Nigeria’s Super Eagles have climbed one place in the newly released FIFA global rankings, moving from 44th to 43rd.
However, despite this marginal gain, they’ve slipped to sixth place on the African continent.
The latest ranking reflects a modest rebound for the national team, who had previously recorded their worst position in six years at the end of 2024.
Back in January of that year, Nigeria sat at 28th globally before a steady decline saw them fall to 44th.
The Super Eagles’ recent performances in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers contributed to their slight ranking boost.
They secured a 2-0 victory over Rwanda in Kigali and held Zimbabwe to a 1-1 draw in Uyo.
With seven points from six matches, Nigeria currently ranks fourth in their qualification group.
Meanwhile, Morocco leads Africa’s pack and has climbed to 12th in the world.
Following them are Senegal (19th), Egypt (32nd), Algeria (36th), and Côte d’Ivoire (41st), all of whom now rank ahead of Nigeria.
Globally, Argentina retained the top spot. Spain rose above France to claim second place, while England, Brazil, Netherlands, Portugal, Belgium, Italy, and Germany made up the rest of the top ten.
Elsewhere, Myanmar recorded the highest leap by moving seven places to 162nd.
Guinea-Bissau suffered the biggest drop, now placed at 128th. Bosnia and Herzegovina had the most point gains, while Iraq experienced the steepest decline.
The Super Eagles aim to improve further with upcoming friendlies, including a high-profile match against Russia on June 6.
Before that, they will compete in the 2025 Unity Cup in London, scheduled for May 27–31. The next FIFA rankings update is expected on July 10.