NIGERIA’s Super Falcons have dropped seven places to 43rd in the latest FIFA Women’s World Rankings, falling from their previous position of 36th.
News Point Nigeria Sport reports that despite the slide, the 10-time African champions remain the highest-ranked women’s team on the continent. South Africa, Morocco, Ghana and Zambia occupy the second to fifth positions in Africa, respectively.
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The decline follows a disappointing campaign at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco, where the Falcons suffered an early setback before eventually exiting the tournament at the quarter-final stage.
Nigeria lost their opening match 3-2 to Malawi but recovered to beat Zambia 1-0 and thrash Egypt 6-2 to secure qualification for the quarter-finals.
However, the Falcons’ campaign ended in disappointment when they lost 1-0 to Cameroon on August 9, resulting in their elimination at the last-eight stage.
The defeat ended Nigeria’s hopes of securing automatic qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil. It also marked the first time the Falcons had failed to reach the semi-finals of the continental tournament.
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Nigeria subsequently lost 2-1 to South Africa in a play-off in Casablanca on August 13.
Thembi Kgatlana and Refiloe Jane scored for South Africa before substitute Christy Ucheibe pulled one back for Nigeria from the penalty spot in stoppage time.
The defeat meant Nigeria would miss the Women’s World Cup for the first time since the inaugural edition in 1991, bringing an end to the country’s record of appearing at every edition of the competition.
There was, however, some positive news in the Falcons’ bid to qualify for the 2028 Olympic Games, as they recorded two victories over Comoros in the qualifying rounds.
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The Super Falcons will now look to build on their Olympic qualifying campaign as they seek to recover from the disappointment of their WAFCON performance and improve their standing in international women’s football.
The next edition of the FIFA Women’s World Rankings will be released on December 7, 2026.
