The Super Falcons of Nigeria have fallen to their lowest FIFA ranking points total in three years, even as they climbed one place in the latest women’s world rankings released on Tuesday.
Nigeria moved up from 37th to 36th in the global standings, but the improvement in position masks a continued decline in performance metrics, with their current total dropping to 1602 points from 1607 in December 2025.
This marks the team’s lowest points accumulation since June 2023, when they had 1555 points ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. In the aftermath of that tournament, Nigeria experienced a temporary rise, peaking at 1649 points and moving from 40th to 32nd place globally.
Since then, however, the trajectory has steadily weakened. The Falcons slipped to 34th place with 1627 points in December 2023 and further to 36th with 1616 points in March 2024. While they have largely hovered around that ranking band since, inconsistent results and limited international fixtures have contributed to a gradual erosion in points, culminating in the current three-year low.
Despite the decline, Nigeria remain Africa’s highest-ranked women’s national team, sitting more than 20 places above South Africa, who are ranked 58th. Ghana, Morocco, and Zambia complete the continent’s top five.
At the top of the global standings, Spain retain first place, followed by the United States. England have moved into third, overtaking Germany, while Japan climb to fifth ahead of Sweden, France, and Brazil.
The latest ranking cycle also reflects Nigeria’s uneven international schedule. The Super Falcons played only a March double-header friendly against Cameroon, losing the first leg before winning the second, and did not participate in the April international window, which permits up to three matches.
Their inactivity has come amid growing concern about preparations for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), scheduled for July 25 to August 16, which also serves as qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
Nigeria have yet to confirm opponents for the June international window, widely considered their final preparation phase ahead of the continental tournament. The absence of fixtures in April was reportedly worsened by withdrawals from potential opponents, with both Togo and Cape Verde said to have pulled out of planned friendlies. No official squad was announced for the period, leaving senior players frustrated.
Captain Rasheedat Ajibade publicly questioned the team’s preparation standards, contrasting Nigeria’s inactivity with the structured schedules of other national sides.
“We are not just preparing for the Women’s African Cup of Nations, we are also fighting for World Cup qualification. So, why are we not preparing with the seriousness and intensity this demands?” she wrote on her Instagram story, adding, “Abeg, wetin be all this one (what is all this?) for how long?”
Goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie also raised concerns, pointing to perceived disparities between the women’s national setup and the men’s programme, particularly the announcement of the Super Eagles’ Unity Cup campaign in the United Kingdom.
Nigeria’s preparation challenges have not been limited to this cycle. The team also missed international windows in April 2025 and November 2025, with players previously expressing frustration over disrupted schedules.
Since securing qualification for the 2026 WAFCON in October, the Super Falcons have assembled only once for competitive preparation, a two-legged friendly against Cameroon in Yaoundé, losing 1-0 in the first leg before responding with a 3-1 win in the second.