Super Falcons Keep Africa’s No. 1 Spot Ahead of 2026 WAFCON -

The Super Falcons will enter the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations as Africa’s highest-ranked team after holding 36th position in the latest FIFA Women’s World Ranking.

The rankings, released on Thursday, mark the final FIFA update before the tournament. Nigeria will chase a record-extending 11th WAFCON title when the competition runs from July 25 to August 16 in Morocco.

Despite back-to-back wins over Senegal in June friendlies, the reigning African champions could not climb higher globally. Nigeria beat the Lionesses of Teranga 2-1 on June 5 and followed with a 3-0 victory three days later in Ikenne.

The results were not enough to move the Super Falcons past Serbia, Ukraine, and the Czech Republic, who remain directly ahead in the standings. Nigeria still sits comfortably above teams like Vietnam, Slovenia, the Philippines, Chinese Taipei, and Jamaica.

South Africa remain Nigeria’s closest challengers on the continent. Banyana Banyana rose one place to 57th worldwide after a 1-0 win over Japan, bouncing back from a 5-0 defeat to the same side earlier in the window.

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Ghana dropped one spot to 60th, while WAFCON hosts Morocco slipped to 64th. Zambia, drawn in the same group as Nigeria, also fell one place to 65th despite a 3-0 win over Zimbabwe.

At the 2026 WAFCON, the Super Falcons will face Zambia, Egypt, and Malawi in Group C. Egypt are ranked 99th globally, and Malawi sit at 158th.

The tournament will also serve as a qualifier for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil. The four semi-finalists will secure automatic qualification, with one additional African team entering the play-offs.

Globally, Spain remain number one ahead of the United States, Germany, England, and Japan. France moved up to sixth, while Brazil, Sweden, Canada, and the Netherlands complete the top 10.