CAF Rankings: Nigeria’s best club is 24th in Africa – what went wrong?

On August 6, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) revealed the ranking of the best 79 clubs on the continent, and only two Nigerian clubs made it, Afrik-Foot reports.

​Rivers United are the first in Nigeria and 24th on the continent, while Enyimba are 45th on the continent and just the second team in Africa.

​South Africa dominate the standings, with 8 clubs among the best 79. And of course, their highest ranked team is Mamelodi Sundowns who are first. The club has dominated the African scene in the last decade, so it is not a surprise.

𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟 ‼️

CAF's updated Club Ranking ahead of the 2026/27 CAF inter club competitions:

1) Mamelodi Sundowns 🇿🇦
19) Orlando Pirates 🇿🇦
21) Stellenbosch FC 🇿🇦
37) Marumo Gallants 🇿🇦
38) Kaizer Chiefs 🇿🇦 pic.twitter.com/sacE1kNQN4

— iDiski Times (@iDiskiTimes) August 6, 2026

​Algeria are second with seven clubs, and USM Alger are their highest ranked club at 5th. Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, DR Congo, Libya, and Angola all have five clubs each. Tanzania have four, while Ivory Coast, Mali, and Zambia have three teams each.

​The fact that Nigeria has only two clubs in the top 79 is embarrassing on its own. What then makes it worse is that you would have to go all the way down to 24th to find the first Nigerian team.

​You have to note that asides from the North African countries, countries in other parts of Africa like Sudan (Al Hilal), Tanzania (Simba SC, Young Africans), and DR Congo (TP Mazembe) have clubs in the top 20.

​Why Are Nigerian Clubs Ranked So Low By CAF?

​It is not rocket science that Nigerian clubs are ranked so low in the CAF Rankings. The rankings are determined by the performances of clubs in CAF’s tournaments － the Champions League and the Confederation Cup.

​Unfortunately for Nigerian clubs, most of them have performed abysmally on the continent. The last time a club reached the knockout rounds of the Champions League was in 2012.

​In fact, before Rivers United last season, the last time a Nigerian club reached the group stage of CAF’s elite competition was in the 2018/19 season. They went on to pick one point from six games, in a group that had RS Berkane, Pyramids, and Power Dynamos.

​In the Confederation Cup, the record has been significantly better. But in the last ten years, Nigerian clubs have made the knockouts six times, but it was only once that they made the semis.

​These poor results have clearly affected the rankings of Nigerian clubs, and if they don’t improve soon, it will only get worse.

​What Went Wrong?

​It would not be far from the truth to say that Nigerian football has fallen off over the last two decades. In the early 2000s, Nigerian teams were doing well on the continent. Enyimba even won the Champions League back-to-back.

​Kano Pillars and Heartland also did well in the early 2000s, reaching the semifinal and final.

​But now, Nigerian sides struggle to even make the group stage of the Champions League or the Confederation Cup.

​The clubs dominating the continent are the South African and North African clubs. The major difference is just investment, planning and structure.

​NPFL clubs are poor. They are mostly run by the state governments and the level of funding all depends on whether the governor loves sports or not.

​The major reason Enyimba won back-to-back titles in 2003 and 2004 was because Abia State had a governor who loved sports － Orji Uzor Kalu. He was heavily invested in the club at the time, so he kept in touch fully. That team even had many top players like Vincent Enyimba, Dele Aiyenugba, Obinna Nwaneri, Victor Ezeji, and many others.

​On the other hand, there are some state governors who actually love football, but go on to employ inept individuals who don’t know much about the game in the first instance.

​It is also important to note that the NPFL is not financially viable. That is why the clubs don’t pay well and can’t attract top players. It is a common sight to see the best NPFL players from a season leave and move to an obscure league just because of money.

​Recently, National Sports Commission chairman Mallam Shehu Dikko announced that the winners of the NPFL from next season will get ₦1 billion. He also stated that no club should pay players below ₦2 million. But there are still doubts about how feasible this is.

🚨 The NSC and NFF approved reforms ahead of the 2026/27 NPFL season:

Champions will now earn ₦1 billion, a significant increase from the previous ₦150–200 million, positioning the NPFL as Africa’s second-highest paying league after South Africa’s Betway Premiership. ✅

✅… pic.twitter.com/5TXxsoIFOs

— Soccernet.ng (@soccernet_ng) June 25, 2026

​Now, a lot of these clubs cannot attract sponsorships because they lack appeal. Brands want numbers, and these clubs can’t produce those numbers. Some of them can’t even attract fans to the stadiums. The issue of merchandising is even a foreign topic.

​Finally, the issue of infrastructure is important. Many of these clubs lack proper infrastructure for player training and talent production. Many clubs in the country can’t meet up with international standards. Some of the coaches are also below par.

​The stadiums are even an entirely different story. Nigeria lacks proper stadiums.

​Case in point is Enugu Rangers who will have to play their home games of the Champions League at Remo Stars’ stadium in Ikenne. In Africa where home advantage is key, this is a major disadvantage.

​So in the two-legged ties, they basically have no advantage. This is an issue that has been on for a long time, and the clubs are not improving.

​The gap in quality between Nigerian clubs and the clubs in the top 10 is a lot. Those clubs have pumped so much money into their teams that they can even attract players from Europe.

South Africa’s best legs hardly leave for foreign clubs because their league is solid. Look at the Egyptian national team that dragged Argentina at the 2026 World Cup; most of them ply their trade at home.

​But the NPFL is a very different case. So long as they don’t improve, they will continue to wallow in the doldrums.