Despite securing a resounding 6-0 victory against São Tomé and Príncipe in their final 2023 AFCON qualifier, Nigeria’s Super Eagles experienced a minor dip in the latest FIFA Coca-Cola world rankings, sliding from 39th to 40th place.
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The updated rankings were officially released on FIFA’s website on Thursday, September 21, 2023, reflecting the performances of national teams around the world.
In the African context, the Super Eagles currently occupy the sixth spot, trailing behind several strong African teams. The ranking in Africa places them behind 2022 FIFA World Cup semi-finalists Morocco, 2021 AFCON champions Senegal, Tunisia, Algeria, and Egypt.
The global ranking is currently led by world champions Argentina, who solidified their position with a 1-0 victory against Ecuador and a convincing 3-0 away triumph over Bolivia during their opening FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers.
France, occupying the second spot, experienced a slight setback in the rankings after suffering a 2-1 friendly defeat to Germany. Meanwhile, Brazil, England, and Belgium retain their positions in the top five, maintaining the status quo from the July 2023 edition of the global ranking.
Croatia stands at 6th place, while the Netherlands occupies the 7th position, and Portugal climbs to 8th, marking the only notable change among the top ten teams.
Italy, who secured the 9th spot, fell a position following a 1-1 draw away to North Macedonia in their UEFA EURO 2024 qualifier. Completing the top ten lineup is former World Cup and three-time European champions, Spain.
Looking ahead, the next FIFA world ranking update is scheduled for October 26, providing an ongoing measure of international football teams’ performance on the global stage.
