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The Super Falcons have fallen seven places to 43rd in the FIFA women's world rankings, released on 20 October, after a disappointing 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations.
Nigeria were 36th in June and entered the tournament in Morocco as the highest-ranked African side, according to Per Second News. They still lead the continent, which the report calls limited consolation.
The report also says the exit was their first failure to reach a WAFCON semi-final.
Cameroon loss and a South Africa playoff defeat
The group stage began with a 3-2 loss to Malawi, then wins over Zambia (1-0) and Egypt (6-2) took Nigeria through. Cameroon beat them 1-0 in the quarter-finals.
A 2-1 defeat to South Africa in the 2027 Women's World Cup playoff followed. Per Second News says Nigeria now face the real prospect of missing the global tournament for the first time.
Lowest point since August 2022
The report puts the previous low on 5 August 2022, under former coach Randy Waldrum, when the team fell from 39th to 46th.
Elsewhere in Africa, South Africa slipped two places to 59th, Cameroon rose nine to 62nd, Morocco are 64th, Ghana 65th and Zambia 70th.
Soccernet last saw the Super Falcons in action in a 5-0 win over Comoros, and we set out the big takeaways from that result. Star forward Asisat Oshoala's career is covered in 10 records that make her an African legend.
Analysis: the ranking is the symptom, not the cause
Being the best-ranked African team while facing the prospect of missing a World Cup sounds like a contradiction. The tournament run explains it: a group-stage loss to Malawi, a quarter-final exit to Cameroon, then a 2-1 playoff defeat to South Africa, all in one campaign.
Rankings reward results over time, so three damaging results in a short window cost Nigeria seven places at once. Cameroon, who beat Nigeria in the quarter-finals, rose nine places to 62nd.
The gap between reputation and results is the real story, and the next ranking update will be the first test of whether it narrows.
The next ranking update will show whether a new technical direction can start the climb back up.
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