FIFA RANKING
Super Falcons down two places but retain continental lead –
The first FIFA ranking of the women’s national teams for 2024 appeared was officially released by world football governing body, FIFA on Friday, 15 March.
Nigeria went down two places from the rankings, going from 32nd to 34th position but maintain their lead on the continental.
In the African rankings, the Nigeria are followed reigning African champions, South Africa who moved one place up the world rankings to 51st.
Morocco are third on the continent, while occupying position 58 in the world. The Copper Queens of Zambia moved an impressive five spots to position 65.
World champions, Spain retain their lead in the global rankings.
The Super Eagles have slipped to 45th in the latest FIFA men’s world ranking, their lowest position in over six years, according to figures released Thursday by world football governing body, FIFA.
Despite remaining unbeaten in recent outings, Nigeria’s ranking points were not enough to maintain their previous position. The team also sits sixth on the African continent, behind Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria and Côte d’Ivoire.
The decline highlights both the fierce competition within Africa and the importance of securing victories in high-value matches such as World Cup qualifiers.
Sports Village Square warns that the ranking could affect Nigeria’s seeding in future tournaments, potentially drawing the Super Eagles against tougher opponents in qualification campaigns.
The publication also urges the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) to strengthen preparations for upcoming qualifiers, emphasizing consistency, competitive match scheduling, and squad stability as key to reversing the downward slide.
Nigeria’s FIFA Men’s World Ranking trend over the last ~5 years
| Year | Approximate Rank* | Notes/Remarks |
| 2020 | 35th | Nigeria ended 2020 at 35th globally. |
| 2021 | 36th | Nigeria’s year-end ranking in 2021 was 36th. |
| 2022 | 35th | Ended 2022 ranked 35th in the world. |
| 2023 | ~40–42nd | Mid-/late-2023 rankings show Nigeria around 40-42nd globally. |
| 2024 | 44th | By end of 2024, Nigeria dropped to 44th globally. |
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Nigeria’s women’s team, Super Falcons, remain at the 36th position in the FIFA ranking released this Thursday morning despite their victory at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
They, however, remain Africa’s best-ranked team. The stagnation may have been influenced by the fact that the time of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations also coincided with that of the European version, where most of the teams enjoy a higher ranking than the Nigerian side.
It will be another 126 days before the next ranking is made on 11 December 2025.
South Africa, at the 56th position, is the next ranked African team, while Morocco is at 64, Zambia is 65th, and Cameroon is at the 66th position.
Ghana, the third-placed team at WAFCON, places 67th in the global ranking.
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Zimbabwe has taken a five step up in the FIFA ranking just released this Thursday. The Zimbabwe Warriors are now 116th in the world ranking among the teams that got astronomical rise in the current ranking.
The 90th minute scored against Nigeria in World Cup qualifiers that ended 1-1 contributed to the rise.
Meanwhile, Nigeria also rose a step to the 43rd position from that of December 2024. They are 6th in Africa. Have they beaten Zimbabwe, their ranking could have been better.
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