Nigeria’s Super Falcons will head into the upcoming Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) as the continent’s highest-ranked side after maintaining their 36th position in the latest FIFA Women’s World Rankings.
The rankings, released on Thursday, represent FIFA’s final update before the continental championship scheduled to take place in Morocco from July 25 to August 16. Nigeria will be aiming to secure an unprecedented 11th WAFCON crown at the tournament.
Although the Super Falcons recorded consecutive victories against Senegal during the recent international window, the results did not translate into an improvement in their global ranking. Justin Madugu’s side defeated the Teranga Lionesses 2-1 on June 5 before sealing a convincing 3-0 win in the return fixture in Ikenne three days later.
Despite those positive performances, Nigeria remain behind Serbia, Ukraine and the Czech Republic, who occupy positions immediately above the African champions in the world standings.
The nine-time African champions continue to enjoy a comfortable advantage over countries such as Vietnam, Slovenia, the Philippines, Chinese Taipei and Jamaica, reinforcing their status as Africa’s leading women’s national team.
South Africa remain the closest challengers to Nigeria on the continent. Banyana Banyana moved up one place to 57th globally after bouncing back from a heavy defeat to Japan with a narrow 1-0 victory over the Asian side during the latest FIFA window.
Elsewhere in Africa, Ghana dropped one place to 60th, while tournament hosts Morocco slipped to 64th. Zambia, who will face Nigeria in the group stage of WAFCON, also fell one position to 65th despite recording a 3-0 win over Zimbabwe.
At the tournament, the Super Falcons have been drawn in Group C alongside Zambia, Egypt and Malawi. Egypt are currently ranked 99th in the world, while Malawi sit in 158th position.
The competition will carry additional significance as it also serves as Africa’s qualification pathway for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil. The four semi-finalists will earn automatic qualification, while another African nation will have an opportunity to reach the tournament through the intercontinental play-offs.
On the global stage, Spain retained top spot in the FIFA rankings, with the United States, Germany, England and Japan completing the top five. France climbed to sixth place, while Brazil, Sweden, Canada and the Netherlands round out the world’s top ten teams.