Nigeria drops one spot in FIFA women’s rankings, still Africa’s No. 1

Nigeria’s Super Falcons have dropped one place to 37th in the latest FIFA Women’s World Ranking released on Thursday, though they continue to lead the continent as Africa’s highest-ranked team, Sport360NG reports.

The slight decline comes despite a strong year in which the Falcons clinched the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, securing a record 10th continental crown. Nigeria produced a memorable comeback in the final, overturning a two-goal deficit to defeat hosts Morocco 3–2, with decisive contributions from Esther Okoronkwo and Rasheedat Ajibade.

Their title-winning run included a commanding 5–0 quarterfinal victory over Zambia, a hard-fought 2–1 win against South Africa in the semifinals, and group-stage triumphs against Botswana and Cape Verde, along with a goalless draw with Algeria.

After lifting the WAFCON trophy, Nigeria resumed competitive action in October for the 2026 WAFCON qualifiers, advancing with a 3–1 aggregate win over the Republic of Benin. They secured a 2–0 first-leg victory in Lomé, Togo, before being held to a 1–1 draw in Abeokuta.

However, the team did not feature in the most recent FIFA women’s international window, a factor that contributed to their slight drop in the global standings.

South Africa, Ghana, Zambia, and Morocco complete the top five ranked teams on the African continent.

On the global stage, Spain maintained their position at the summit, followed by the United States, Germany, England, and Sweden.