The Nigeria Super Eagles have soared to 26th in the latest FIFA men’s rankings.
This achievement marks their highest global position in sixteen years.
The ranking improvement follows Nigeria’s impressive performance at the 2025 AFCON in Morocco.
Under coach Eric Chelle, Nigeria recorded one of the biggest ranking jumps worldwide.
The Super Eagles moved up twelve places in the January 2026 FIFA update.
Their last comparable ranking came in May 2010, when Nigeria placed 21st globally.
During the ranking period, Nigeria played seven competitive international matches.
They recorded six victories and suffered only one defeat.
Notably, the Eagles defeated Mozambique 4–0 in the round of sixteen.
They also secured a convincing 2–0 quarter-final win over Algeria.
However, Nigeria lost narrowly to hosts Morocco in the semi-final on penalties.
The match ended goalless before Morocco advanced after the shootout.
Nevertheless, the Super Eagles responded strongly in the third-place match.
They held Egypt to a scoreless draw before winning 4–2 on penalties.
FIFA confirmed Nigeria earned 79.09 ranking points from the tournament.
This points gain was the highest recorded by any country in the update.
Therefore, Nigeria emerged as one of the biggest beneficiaries of AFCON 2025.
Meanwhile, Morocco climbed to eighth place globally despite losing the final.
This marked their first top-ten ranking since 1998.
Senegal also reached a national high, rising to twelfth after winning the tournament.
Spain remain top of the rankings, followed by Argentina and France.
Across Africa, nine CAF teams now rank among the world’s top fifty.
The next FIFA men’s rankings will be released on April 1, 2026.
