Nigeria has retained its position in the December 2025 FIFA men’s world rankings, holding steady at 38th globally, according to the latest update released on Monday.
With no competitive matches played since the previous ranking, Super Eagles maintained their November points tally of 1,502.
The country is currently fifth among African nations, behind Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, and Algeria.
Morocco remains Africa’s highest-ranked team, sitting 11th in the world, while Senegal occupies the 19th spot globally. Algeria and Egypt are ranked 34th and 35th, respectively, with Nigeria following at 38th.
Other African teams in the top 10 continentally include Tunisia, 41st globally, Côte d’Ivoire, 42nd, Mali, 53rd, DR Congo, 56th, and Cameroon, 57th globally.
Globally, Spain continues to lead the rankings, having reclaimed the top spot from Argentina in September 2025.
France completes the podium in third place, while England, Brazil, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Croatia occupy the remaining top 10 positions, all unchanged from the previous ranking.
The December 2025 edition, the last of the year, follows 42 international fixtures, with the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025 having taken centre stage.
Morocco’s victory at the tournament brought them close to breaking into the top 10 for the first time since April 1998, trailing Croatia by just 0.54 points.
Standout performers of 2025 include Kosovo, who climbed 19 places to 80th after an impressive year, recording seven wins and two draws in 10 matches.
Norway (29th) and Suriname (123rd) also made significant progress, while Jordan (64th), Vietnam (107th), and Singapore (148th) recorded the largest upward movements in December, climbing two to three spots each.
Nigeria’s retention of its global ranking reflects stability but underscores the need to improve the team’s standing during the ongoing AFCON 2025.
