THE Nigerian national football team, the Super Eagles, has experienced a notable decline in the latest FIFA rankings, falling to the 38th position globally.
This drop from their previous ranking of 30th in March comes after less-than-stellar performances in their post-African Cup of Nations matches, according to the latest figures released on Thursday.
The Super Eagles now stand at 1498.93 points, a decrease from their former score of 1520.27 points. This decline follows Nigeria’s runner-up finish at the African Cup of Nations and subsequent matches that failed to capture victories.
In recent outings, the team drew 1-1 with South Africa’s Bafana Bafana in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, and suffered a 2-1 defeat against the Benin Republic in a match played in Ivory Coast.
This ranking setback casts further doubt on Nigeria’s prospects for the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers, as the team has struggled to secure crucial wins in these matches.
The performance dip has sparked concerns about the team’s preparedness and ability to compete at the highest levels required for upcoming international competitions.
Meanwhile, at the top of the FIFA rankings, Argentina continues to hold the lead, now standing at 1860.14 points after gaining 2.14 points, a testament to their consistent performance in recent tournaments.
The rankings, which are calculated using the Elo model, take into account factors such as team strength, match importance, and results.
The rankings also highlighted significant movements for other nations, with Liberia emerging as the biggest climber, moving up 10 positions to reach the 142nd spot while gaining 37.47 points. On the other hand, Equatorial Guinea faced the most substantial decline, dropping 10 positions and losing 47.53 points, indicating a significant downturn in their footballing achievements.
