Nigeria’s women’s national football team, the Super Falcons, will enter the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) as Africa’s highest-ranked side after retaining 36th position in the latest FIFA Women’s World Ranking released on Thursday.
The rankings serve as FIFA’s final update before the tournament kicks off in Morocco from July 25 to August 16. The Super Falcons will be aiming to secure a record-extending 11th continental title at the competition.
Despite recording back-to-back victories against Senegal during the recent international window, Nigeria failed to improve its position in the global standings. The Falcons edged Senegal 2-1 on June 5 before sealing an impressive 3-0 victory three days later in Ikenne.
However, the wins were not enough to move Nigeria above Serbia, Ukraine and Czech Republic, all of whom remain ahead in the FIFA rankings.
The nine-time African champions continue to rank above nations such as Vietnam, Slovenia, Philippines, Chinese Taipei and Jamaica, while maintaining their status as the continent’s top-ranked team.
Banyana Banyana remain Nigeria’s closest challengers in Africa, climbing one place to 57th in the world after recovering from a heavy defeat to Japan with a 1-0 win in their second meeting.
Meanwhile, Ghana dropped to 60th position globally, while hosts Morocco slipped to 64th. Zambia, one of Nigeria’s group-stage opponents, also fell one spot to 65th despite a recent victory over Zimbabwe.
The Super Falcons have been drawn in Group C alongside Zambia, Egypt and Malawi. Egypt are ranked 99th in the world, while Malawi occupy 158th place.
The tournament will also serve as a qualification route for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil. The four semi-finalists will automatically qualify, while another African nation will have the opportunity to reach the tournament through the intercontinental playoffs.
At the top of the global rankings, Spain remain world number one, followed by the United States, Germany, England and Japan. France moved up to sixth place, while Brazil, Sweden, Canada and Netherlands complete the top 10.