‘Most points scored’ – Nigeria reach 15-year high in first FIFA ranking after AFCON 2025

Nigeria have recorded their biggest climb in more than a decade in the latest FIFA World Rankings, released on Thursday, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Super Eagles jumped to 26th place globally after a remarkable Africa Cup of Nations campaign in Morocco.

The new ranking, the first of 2026, confirms Nigeria as one of the biggest movers in world football over the last ranking period. The Super Eagles have surged from 38th, where they ended 2025, to 26th in the world, a leap powered by an impressive gain of 79 ranking points.

FIFA, in a statement published on its official platform, noted that Nigeria’s haul represents the “most points scored” by any national team in the world in this ranking window.

The new position marks Nigeria’s highest place in the global rankings in over 15 years. The last time the Super Eagles reached a comparable height was in March 2010, when they climbed to 21st in the world following a strong run of results. Since then, the team have endured years of fluctuation, making this latest rise particularly significant.

Nigeria’s climb is clearly a direct reward for their outstanding performance at the recently concluded Africa Cup of Nations, where the Super Eagles finished third. They sealed the bronze medal by defeating Egypt in the third-place playoff, capping a tournament in which they were one of the most exciting and consistent teams.

Senegal went on to win the competition, beating hosts Morocco 1-0 in the final in Rabat, but Nigeria’s overall body of work across the tournament proved enough to earn them a huge boost in the global standings.

The Super Eagles won five and drew two of their seven matches in regulation time, with their only defeat coming in the semi-final against Morocco, which was decided on penalties. Over the course of the competition, Nigeria beat Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Mozambique and Algeria, combining solid organisation with a fluent attacking style that drew praise across the continent.

Perhaps most telling of all was their goal return. Nigeria finished as the tournament’s highest scorers with 14 goals, surpassing their previous best tally of 12 at a single AFCON, and reinforcing the sense that this was a team playing with confidence, balance and ambition.

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Nigeria, Morocco, Senegal and others also rise as Africa reshapes the top 10

Nigeria were not the only African nation to enjoy a significant lift in the latest rankings.

Beaten finalists Morocco also climbed to a new all-time high, moving up to eighth place in the world, a historic achievement for the North African side.

Champions Senegal have also been richly rewarded for their AFCON triumph, jumping from 19th to 12th place to establish themselves firmly among the world’s elite. The joint-biggest climbers on the continent with Nigeria, however, were Cameroon, who also rose 12 places from 57th to 45th.

The new African top five now reads: Morocco, Senegal, Nigeria, Algeria and Egypt. They are followed by a chasing group made up of Cote d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Tunisia, DR Congo and Mali, completing the continent’s top ten.

At the very top of the global rankings, there was no change among the leading nations. Spain remain world number one, followed by Argentina, France, England and Brazil.