Lifting the 2023 African Cup of Nations (Afcon) cup would have made the perfect prelude for ushering in Nigeria’s latest rise in the FIFA Men’s ranking to the 28^th spot but it is good for the tournament’s runner-up that there is progress, whichever way it looks.

After 29 days of playing in Ivory Coast between 13 January and 11 February, the Super Eagles settled into a fresh world football governing body, FIFA’s recent rating that was released today.

On the list, Nigeria came out as the second-top-climber by taking 14 steps up the ladder.

It was only Angola, whom the Super Eagles faced and defeated in the Afcon quarter-final that made the greatest leap, skipping past 24 national sides to arrive at 93.

For the Nigerian side, their best FIFA ranking was back in the year 2006 when they rose to their highest summit, which showed the team sitting pretty on the ninth position. The Super Eagles carried the record to the following year but soon started to witness a decline that pushed them 10 spots down in 2008.

But here now, 16 years on, there seems to be a renaissance going on. When Nigeria last climbed the 28^th spot was back in 2013, the year they won Afcon playing Burkina Faso in the South Africa-hosted competition.

This year, Nigeria has recorded a total of eight matches played, therefore joining the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ivory Coast to make joint achievers.

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Soon, the passionate display of the 2023 Afcon will wear off slightly in the hearts of fans and they will expect more outstanding performances from their team. By June, they will see their Super Eagles continue their World Cup qualifications sprint, which will take them back to facing South Africa and then the Republic of Benin.

The upcoming matches are Nigeria’s third and fourth out of 10 games in their bid to make it to the 23^rd FIFA World Cup being hosted by three North American countries: Canada, Mexico, and the United States from June to July 2026.

Ayodele Johnson

Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.