Oluwatosin Enesi
In the ranking table on the website of the world football governing body on Thursday, Nigeria garnered 1503.29 points within the period under review.
The senior men’s national team defeated their Libyan counterparts in the first leg match of the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers by a lone goal on Oct. 11 in Uyo.
The movement also reflected positively on the team’s continental position to be ranked fourth behind Morocco, Senegal, and Egypt instead of the sixth spot they occupied in September.
On the global scene, 32 qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026, 47 for the CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2025, 79 Nations League matches, and 17 friendlies were played during the recent international window.
This made October a particularly busy month of football and one that has led to some changes in the FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Ranking.
The top three teams are also bunching up; Argentina (1st) is still on top, but their lead over France (2nd) and Spain (3rd) has been cut. England (4th), Brazil (5th), and Belgium (6th) have all held onto their positions.
Portugal (7th, up 1) and Italy (9th, up 1) are the only climbers within the top 10, which is completed by the Netherlands (8th, down 1) and Colombia (10th, down 1), with Germany (11th, up 2) now knocking on the door.
Elsewhere, Algeria (37th, up 4), Peru (38th, up 5), and Greece (42nd, up 6) have all made moves worthy of note, and Cameroon (49th, up 4) has returned to the top 50.
Other African teams to have made significant progress in the ranking include Equatorial Guinea (88th, up 6), and Zimbabwe (117th, up 7).
The Gambia (128th, up 7) and Botswana (140th, up 7), the last of whom, the Zebras, have posted the biggest jump overall in terms of points gained (up 38.30 points).
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