The rankings, released on Tuesday, show the 10-time African champions slipping from 36th despite retaining their continental lead ahead of South Africa, Morocco, Ghana and Zambia, which occupy the next four positions in Africa.
The decline follows a challenging run of results, including Nigeria’s quarter-final exit at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, where they lost to Malawi and Cameroon.
The Falcons also suffered a 2-1 defeat to South Africa in the play-offs for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, although they recorded two victories over Comoros in qualifying for the 2028 Olympic Games.
At the top of the global rankings, Spain remain in first place, followed by the United States, Germany, England and Japan, with the top five positions unchanged.
FIFA is scheduled to publish its next Women’s World Rankings on December 7, 2026.
