Updated FIFA ranking: How Nigeria’s Super Eagles fare as France overtake Spain

FIFA has released its latest world rankings following a busy March international window, with Nigeria holding firm despite an encouraging set of results, Afrik-Foot reports.

Nigeria’s Super Eagles remain 26th in the world, a position they climbed to earlier this year after a strong run at the Africa Cup of Nations. That tournament marked a return to consistency for the three-time African champions, who won five matches and drew two others, both settled on penalties.

Eric Chelle’s men defeated Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Mozambique, and Algeria, before falling to Morocco in the semi-finals. They recovered to beat Egypt’s Pharaohs in the third-place play-off.

There had been hope that March’s results might push Nigeria higher. A 2-1 victory over Iran and a 2-2 draw with Jordan suggested a side continuing to build momentum against World Cup-bound oppositions.

Yet the rankings, which weigh results over a period, showed little movement. Nigeria’s points tally was not enough to shift them from 26th, pointing to the difficulty of climbing once teams reach the upper tier of the table.

Nigeria’s opponents saw minor changes. Iran slipped from 20th to 21st after consecutive defeats, while Jordan edged up from 64th to 63rd following draws against both Nigeria and Costa Rica.

Within Africa, there was little reshuffling at the top. Morocco remain the continent’s highest-ranked side, followed by Senegal, with Nigeria holding third place. Algeria, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Cameroon, DR Congo, and South Africa complete the top ten.

There is, however, a sense that these standings could shift significantly in the coming months. Ten African teams will feature at the next World Cup, offering a major opportunity for movement. Nigeria will not be among them after their play-off defeat to DR Congo, and must now wait until September to begin their qualifying campaign for the 2027 AFCON.

FIFA rankings: France rise as Spain slip

At the top of the FIFA rankings, France have climbed to number one, overtaking Spain after an impressive March window.

France recorded notable wins over Colombia and Brazil, results that strengthened their claim as early favourites for the upcoming World Cup. Spain, by contrast, were held to a goalless draw by a ten-man Egypt, a result that followed their comfortable win against Serbia but ultimately cost them top spot.

Argentina drop to third, with England in fourth. Portugal move up to fifth, pushing Brazil down to sixth. The rest of the top ten is made up of Netherlands, Morocco, Belgium, and Germany.

FIFA is scheduled to release its next update on 10 June 2026, a point by which the global picture may already look very different as attention turns fully towards the World Cup.