Super Eagles climb three spots to 36th in latest FIFA rankings

The Super Eagles of Nigeria have moved up three spots to 36th in the world in the latest FIFA rankings released on Thursday.

The team accumulated 1,503.29 points, largely due to their victory over Libya in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, where they won 1-0 on October 11 in Uyo.

This ranking boost also improved Nigeria’s standing on the African continent, moving them to fourth, behind Morocco, Senegal, and Egypt, up from the sixth position in September.

Globally, the October FIFA rankings were influenced by a flurry of international games, including 32 FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers, 47 CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2025 qualifiers, 79 Nations League matches, and 17 friendlies.

These matches contributed to significant shifts in team standings across the world.

The top three teams are also bunching up; Argentina (1st) is still on top, but their lead over France (2nd) and Spain (3rd) has been cut. England (4th), Brazil (5th), and Belgium (6th) have all held onto their positions.

Portugal (7th, up 1) and Italy (9th, up 1) are the only climbers within the top 10, which is completed by the Netherlands (8th, down 1) and Colombia (10th, down 1), with Germany (11th, up 2) now knocking on the door.

Elsewhere, Algeria (37th, up 4), Peru (38th, up 5), and Greece (42nd, up 6) have all made moves worthy of note, and Cameroon (49th, up 4) has returned to the top 50.

Other African teams to have made significant progress in the ranking include Equatorial Guinea (88th, up 6), and Zimbabwe (117th, up 7).

The Gambia (128th, up 7) and Botswana (140th, up 7), the last of whom, the Zebras, have posted the biggest jump overall in terms of points gained (up 38.30points). (NAN)