Nigeria’s Super Falcons Drop Seven Places In Latest FIFA Rankings Despite Retaining African No. 1 Spot

Nigeria’s Super Falcons have dropped seven places in the latest FIFA Women’s World Rankings, moving from 36th to 43rd following their campaign at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.

According to Bush Radio Academy, the 10-time African champions lost 83.54 points during the latest ranking period after recording disappointing results at the continental tournament.

Nigeria’s campaign reportedly included defeats to Malawi in their opening group match and Cameroon, contributing to their decline in the global standings.

The setback comes after the Super Falcons also failed to secure qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, following a 2-1 defeat to South Africa in the play-offs.

Despite their drop in the rankings, Nigeria remain Africa’s highest-ranked women’s national team, ahead of South Africa, who occupy 52nd position globally.

Cameroon are ranked 62nd, while Morocco and Ghana sit in 64th and 65th positions, respectively.

Malawi recorded the biggest improvement in the latest rankings, climbing 49 places following an impressive WAFCON campaign that saw the team reach the final.

At the global level, Spain retained the top position, followed by the United States, Germany, England and Japan. The top five teams remained unchanged in the latest update.

FIFA is scheduled to release its next Women’s World Rankings on December 7, 2026.

Meanwhile, Super Falcons interim head coach Austin Eguavoen has urged patience as the team prepares for a crucial two-legged Olympic qualifying tie against Morocco.

Nigeria advanced to the third round of the qualifiers after defeating Comoros 5-0 in Ikenne on October 13, securing a 7-0 aggregate victory.

The Super Falcons are scheduled to face Morocco between February 23 and March 6, 2027, with the tie determining which team progresses to the next qualifying round.

Eguavoen said the coaching staff would consider players who missed the recent qualifiers while seeking to maintain stability within the squad.

“Going forward, we expect to meet tougher opposition, no doubt about that,” he said.

“We have the quality, we have the personnel, we have the support.”

The coach added that the technical team would need to balance potential squad changes with the demands of the upcoming fixtures as Nigeria continue their pursuit of one of Africa’s two qualification places for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

The Super Falcons will therefore be looking to improve their performances in the coming months as they seek to recover from their recent setbacks and strengthen their preparations for the Olympic qualifiers.