African champions Nigeria Super Falcons have risen to 36th in the latest FIFA Women’s World Rankings, maintaining their position as Africa’s top-ranked team, www.aclsports.com reports.
Released on Tuesday, 21 April 2026, the rankings show the 10-time African champions moving up one place from 37th in the previous edition, reinforcing their dominance on the continent.
Since the last update in December, international action has largely centred on qualifiers for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 and a series of friendly matches. CAF qualification for the tournament will be determined through the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, which is yet to be played.
During this period, Nigeria faced Cameroon in a friendly double-header, losing the first encounter 1–0 before responding with a 3–1 victory in the reverse fixture to secure a modest gain in ranking points.
Elsewhere in Africa, South Africa dropped three places to 58th but remain Nigeria’s closest challengers. Ghana climbed to 59th, Morocco moved up to 62nd, while Zambia held firm at 64th. Cameroon sit 70th, with Côte d’Ivoire and Algeria ranked 72nd and 73rd respectively. Senegal rose to 80th, while Mali remain 85th, underlining the increasing competitiveness across the continent.
On the global stage, Spain continue to lead the rankings, with the United States remaining second. England climb one place to third, moving ahead of Germany in the latest update.
Japan were among the biggest movers in the top 10, rising three places to fifth following a flawless run to win the AFC Women’s Asian Cup. Brazil occupy sixth place, ahead of France in seventh, while Sweden drop to eighth after a mixed start to their qualifying campaign. Canada move up to ninth, and the Netherlands return to the top 10 in tenth, displacing Korea DPR, who fall to 11th.
In other notable movements, American Samoa recorded the biggest climb, moving up 17 places, while Suriname suffered the steepest drop, falling 14 places. Kosovo gained the most points, while Solomon Islands recorded the biggest loss, and Türkiye reached a new highest ranking of 51st.
The British Virgin Islands have dropped out of the rankings after going four years without playing a match, reducing the total number of ranked teams to 197. The next FIFA Women’s World Rankings will be released on 16 June 2026.
