Duro Ikhazuagbe
Super Eagles 3-0 defeat by Guinea-Bissau in a 2027 AFCON qualifier has caused Nigeria’s senior men’s football team to drop four spots in the latest FIFA ranking released on Wednesday.
Eagles dropped from 26th to 30th overall and also now sixth in Africa from their previous third position.
The three-time African champions struggled to beat Madagascar 2-1 in the first qualifier for the 2027 edition to be hosted by Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
The win for Guinea-Bissau has now lifted the Wild Dogs eight places up the ladder of African football to 35th position from their previous 43rd spot.
They are also on top of Group L of the 2027 AFCON qualifying series with six points from two matches after wins over Nigeria and Tanzania
On Match-day two in Bissau, the Wild Dogs did the unimaginable, ripping Eagles apart with three goals Coach Eric Chelle and his wards were left stranded. They are now firmly in charge of Group L with a maximum six points from two games.
In the African standings, Morocco leads the pack, followed by Senegal, Egypt, Algeria and Côte d’Ivoire, with Nigeria now sixth. DR Congo are seventh with Cameroon, Mali and South Africa making up the Top 10 of African football in the latest October Rankings.
Globally, world champions Spain surged further ahead at the top of the pecking order, with second-placed Argentina, the beaten finalists at the FIFA World Cup 2026, now almost 40 points adrift, while France still occupy the final place on the podium.
However, the standout storyline in the upper echelons comes from Portugal (5th, up 2), who have leapfrogged both Brazil (6th, down 1) and Morocco (7th, also down 1). Belgium, The Netherlands and Mexico completed the Top 10 of world standing for the month under review.
The next edition of the FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Ranking will be published on 18 November 2026.