Nigeria’s Super Eagles have moved up four places to 41st in the latest FIFA men’s world rankings, reclaiming a spot among Africa’s top five teams.

The updated rankings, released on Friday by the world football governing body, show that Nigeria climbed from 45th to 41st following a strong run in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign.

The three-time African champions also overtook Ivory Coast, who are now ranked 42nd globally.

Nigeria’s rise came after impressive performances in recent qualifiers — a 2–1 victory over Lesotho in Polokwane and a 4–0 win against Benin Republic in Uyo. These results boosted the Super Eagles’ ranking points and confirmed their place in the continental playoffs for the 2026 World Cup.

The team is now set to face Gabon, ranked 77th in the world and 15th in Africa, in the playoff round. A win could see Nigeria advance to face either Cameroon or DR Congo for a spot in the final qualifying stage.

On the continental table, Morocco remain Africa’s highest-ranked team despite dropping one spot to 12th globally. They are followed by Senegal (18th), Egypt (32nd), and Algeria (35th), with Nigeria completing the top five.

Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Mali, Cameroon, and South Africa make up the rest of Africa’s top ten.

Globally, Spain retained their position at the top of the rankings after back-to-back World Cup qualifying wins over Georgia and Bulgaria. Argentina, the reigning world champions, climbed back into second place after victories over Venezuela and Puerto Rico, while France slipped to third following a 2–2 draw against Iceland.