The Super Falcons of Nigeria have dropped seven places to 43rd in the latest FIFA Women’s World Rankings following a disappointing campaign at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.
The 10-time African champions fell from 36th after losing 83.54 points during the latest ranking period. Their decline followed a series of poor results at the continental tournament, including defeats to Malawi in their opening group match and Cameroon.
Nigeria’s campaign also ended without qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup after they lost 2-1 to South Africa in the play-offs.
Despite the drop, the Super Falcons remain Africa’s highest-ranked women’s national team, ahead of South Africa, who occupy 52nd position globally. Cameroon are 62nd, followed by Morocco in 64th and Ghana in 65th.
Malawi recorded the biggest improvement in the latest rankings, climbing 49 places after an impressive WAFCON campaign that saw them reach the final.
Globally, Spain retained top spot ahead of the United States, Germany, England and Japan, with no changes among the top five teams.
The next FIFA Women’s World Rankings are scheduled for release on December 7, 2026.
Meanwhile, Super Falcons interim head coach Austin Eguavoen has urged patience as Nigeria prepare for a crucial two-legged Olympic qualifying tie against Morocco.
Nigeria reached the third round of the qualifiers after beating Comoros 5-0 in Ikenne on October 13 to secure a 7-0 aggregate victory. They will face Morocco between February 23 and March 6, 2027, for a place in the next qualifying round.
Eguavoen said the coaching staff would consider players who missed the recent qualifiers while maintaining stability in 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.”
He added that the team would need to balance squad changes with the demands of the competition as Nigeria pursues one of Africa’s two qualification places for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
