Super Eagles slip to lowest FIFA ranking in 6 years despite unbeaten run

Nigeria’s Super Eagles have dropped to 44th place in the latest FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Ranking, marking their lowest standing since June 2019 — when they were ranked 45th globally.

Despite maintaining an unbeaten streak in recent fixtures, the July 2025 update released on Thursday saw Nigeria slide one spot from their previous position. This dip comes even though the team slightly improved their points tally from 1481.35 to 1484.26 — a modest gain of 2.91 points.

The Super Eagles’ recent performances included a 1–1 friendly draw with Russia on June 6 and a strong showing at the Unity Cup, where they edged Ghana 2–1 in the semi-finals before settling for a 2–2 draw against Jamaica in the final.

Still, those results weren’t enough to prevent the downward movement in the global rankings. Notably, this marks the third time in nine months that Nigeria have been placed 44th, following similar standings in November and December 2024. The team had briefly climbed to 43rd in April before slipping again in this update.

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Regionally, Nigeria remain fifth among African nations.

Morocco continue to dominate as Africa’s highest-ranked team at 12th worldwide. Senegal, the only African team in the top 10 to move up, now sits at 18th after climbing one spot. Egypt dropped to 34th, while Algeria held their ground at 36th following mixed recent results.

Ivory Coast, suffering a winless run in four games, slipped to 45th — placing them just behind Nigeria.

Other notable movements across the continent include:
Tunisia: steady at 49th
Cameroon: fell to 51st
Mali: dropped to 54th
South Africa: held 56th, despite playing eight matches with only one win
Global Highlights
Argentina maintain the top spot globally, followed closely by Spain, France, England, and Brazil. Croatia re-entered the top 10, while Mexico surged four places to 13th after their Gold Cup victory.

Costa Rica saw the biggest leap in the new ranking, climbing 14 spots after reaching the Gold Cup quarter-finals.

FIFA stated that over 200 international matches were factored into the July ranking. The next update is scheduled for release on September 18, 2025.