The Super Eagles have climbed higher in the latest FIFA rankings despite being held to a disappointing 1-1 draw by Zimbabwe last month.
In the April rankings released on Thursday by FIFA, Nigeria’s national team moved up by one spot, reflecting an improvement in their global standing.
Previously ranked 44th in the world for 2024, the Super Eagles have now risen to 43rd place in the first FIFA ranking of 2025.
This progress follows their performances in March 2025, where the three-time African champions secured a victory and a draw. Nigeria claimed their first win in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers by defeating Rwanda 2-0, before later settling for a 1-1 draw at home against Zimbabwe.
Although the stalemate with Zimbabwe was a setback in their quest for World Cup qualification, their victory over Rwanda was enough to boost their position in the latest rankings.
The updated rankings also mean that the Super Eagles remain ahead of South Africa, who currently top their World Cup qualifying group.
Bafana Bafana also moved up by one place, now ranked 56th in the world and 10th in Africa. Meanwhile, the Super Eagles continue to stay ahead of the Black Stars of Ghana, who have slipped to 76th place globally.
Elsewhere, Morocco maintains its position as Africa’s top-ranked football nation, climbing two places to 12th in the world.
The Atlas Lions are followed by Senegal, who have dropped two places to 19th in the world rankings. Egypt sits in third place among African nations after moving up one spot to 32nd globally, while Algeria (now 36th) and Côte d’Ivoire (who surged five spots to 41st) complete Africa’s top five.
On the global stage, Argentina remains the top-ranked football nation, continuing its reign as world champions.
European champions Spain have overtaken France to claim the second position, pushing Les Bleus down to third.
England sits in fourth place, while Brazil, the five-time World Cup winners, round out the top five in the latest FIFA rankings.
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