World Ranking: Super Falcons Tumble Seven Places to 43rd After WAFCON

By Samuel Akpan

Nigeria’s Super Falcons have slumped seven places to 43rd in FIFA’s latest women’s world rankings, released on Tuesday, October 20, following a chastening 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign in Morocco.

The 10-time African champions had sat 36th in the June update and arrived at the tournament as the continent’s top-ranked side, only to miss the semi-finals for the first time in their WAFCON history.

They opened with a 3-2 loss to Malawi, then recovered with a 1-0 win over Zambia and a 6-2 thrashing of Egypt to advance from the group stage.

The ranking slide echoes a previous low under former coach Randy Waldrum, when the team recorded its biggest-ever points drop on August 5, 2022, shedding 69.33 points and falling seven places from 39th to 46th.

Their Morocco run ended in a 1-0 quarter-final defeat to Cameroon, after which they lost again to South Africa in the classification matches.

The setbacks continued in the 2027 Women’s World Cup playoff, where Nigeria fell 2-1 to South Africa and now face the real prospect of missing the global tournament for the first time.

South Africa slipped two places to 59th, while Cameroon climbed nine spots to 62nd after their strong WAFCON run. Morocco sit 64th, with Ghana and Zambia on 65th and 70th after each dropped five places.

Côte d’Ivoire, Algeria, Senegal and Mali complete the reported African top 10, underscoring the growing competitiveness of women’s football on the continent.

Retaining the African summit offers limited consolation after a tournament that fell short of expectations, with the rankings highlighting the need for stronger results in upcoming fixtures.

Victories over Comoros in the two-legged Olympic qualifying tie have not shielded the Falcons from the broader decline reflected in this assessment of recent international performances.

Globally, Spain lead the women’s rankings, followed by the United States, Germany, England and Japan, with France, Brazil, Sweden, Canada and Denmark rounding out the top 10.

The October update is a clear reminder that Nigeria must rebuild momentum after a difficult year, with focus now shifting to technical direction and preparations for future international assignments.