Nigeria’s Super Falcons will head into the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) as the continent’s highest-ranked team after maintaining 36th place in the latest FIFA Women’s World Ranking.
The ten-time African champions retained their position in the global standings, reaffirming their status as Africa’s leading women’s national team ahead of the continental showpiece.
The latest ranking comes despite Nigeria recording two impressive victories over Senegal during the recent international window. The Super Falcons defeated the Teranga Lionesses 2-1 on June 5 before completing a dominant double with a 3-0 victory three days later.
However, the back-to-back wins were not enough to secure an upward movement in the global rankings, as the team remained in 36th position worldwide.
South Africa continue to be Nigeria’s closest challengers on the continent. Banyana Banyana moved up one place to 57th in the world rankings after posting mixed results, including a heavy 5-0 loss to Japan and a notable 1-0 victory over the same opponents in a subsequent encounter.
Ghana slipped one place to 60th globally but remain among Africa’s strongest teams as they continue their quest for a first-ever WAFCON title. Morocco, runners-up at the last edition of the tournament and hosts of the upcoming championship, also dropped in the rankings and now occupy 64th place.
Zambia likewise fell one spot to 65th despite recording a convincing 3-0 win over Zimbabwe in their most recent international fixture, highlighting the competitiveness of the rankings among Africa’s top women’s teams.
With their continental dominance once again confirmed by FIFA, the Super Falcons remain well-positioned ahead of the 2026 WAFCON, where they will be aiming to extend their record as Africa’s most successful women’s national team. FIFA is scheduled to publish its next Women’s World Ranking on October 20, 2026.
