By Amaechi Agbo, Abuja
Nigeria’s Super Eagles got the unfancied reward they craved for in their shambolic 2026 World Cup qualifiers recently as they have lost eight places in FIFA Ranking.
In the latest global ranking released on Thursday for the month of June, the three-time Africa Champions dropped from 30th in the world to 38th , they also were demoted two places in the continent
This is no thanks to their woeful performance in recent outings including a draw and a loss in their last two World Cup qualifiers.
Nigeria lost to the Benin Republic for the first time and had before then drawn South Africa – all games in the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers for Africa – leaving their hopes of reaching the competition hanging in the balance
The team’s latest string of performances condemned Nigeria to fifth place in the qualification group, having previously drawn against Lesotho and Zimbabwe.
The results also mounted pressure on the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), which announced it would appoint an “expatriate” technical adviser for the team.
Shortly after the NFF’s announcement, George Finidi resigned as the Super Eagles head coach after just four games in charge.
In FIFA’s latest ranking released on Thursday, the Super Eagles are now 5th in Africa, falling two steps behind on the continental pecking order.
Morocco moved up one place as the best team in Africa, placing 12th globally. They are followed by Senegal (18th), Egypt (36th), and Cote d’Ivoire (37th) in second, third, and fourth respectively on the continental rankings.
Argentina, France, Belgium, Brazil, and England in that order occupy the first five positions globally.
The next FIFA world ranking will be released on July 18, 2024.
