Super Falcons Rise in FIFA Ranking, Maintain Africa’s Top Spot Ahead of WAFCON 2026
Nigeria’s Super Falcons have moved up one place to 36th in the latest FIFA Women’s World Ranking, confirming their position as Africa’s leading women’s team.
The new ranking, released on Tuesday, shows a slight rise from 37th place in December 2025. Although the improvement is small, it highlights the team’s steady progress as they prepare for the upcoming Women’s Africa Cup of Nations 2026.
Despite some inconsistent results in recent months, the Super Falcons remain clearly ahead of their African rivals. South Africa are ranked 58th, followed by Ghana in 59th and Morocco in 62nd, while Zambia complete the continent’s top five.
Globally, Spain remain number one, with United States, England, Germany and Japan making up the top five.
Nigeria’s rise was helped by recent international friendlies, where they earned 3.35 points to reach a total of 1602. However, this is still slightly below the 1607 points recorded in December, showing there is room for improvement.
A major boost to the team’s form came from a two-match friendly series against Cameroon earlier this year. The first match ended in a narrow 1-0 defeat, exposing some weaknesses. But the Super Falcons responded well in the second game with a convincing 3-1 win.
Chinwendu Ihezuo equalised with a fine header in the 32nd minute after a good cross from Rinsola Babajide. Just before half-time, Babajide scored to give Nigeria the lead.
In the second half, Michelle Alozie sealed the win with a powerful header from a cross by captain Rasheedat Ajibade. The victory boosted the team’s confidence and contributed to their improved ranking.
The Super Falcons are not expected to play another match before the next ranking update in June. Their attention is now on preparations for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, where they hope to maintain their status as Africa’s most successful team.
Nigeria have been drawn in a group with Egypt, Malawi and Zambia, with the first aim to qualify from the group.
The team will also be targeting a place in the semi-finals, which guarantees qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, while aiming to defend the title they won for a record tenth time last year in Morocco.
