Nigeria’s Super Falcons have moved up one place to 36th in the world despite playing no games during the April international break, maintaining their status as the continent’s top-ranked women’s side ahead of WAFCON 2026.
The Super Falcons of Nigeria have climbed to 36th in the world following the latest FIFA Women’s World Ranking published on Tuesday, April 21, rising one spot from their previous position of 37th. The ten-time African champions also remain Africa’s number one-ranked women’s side, with South Africa at 58th and Ghana at 59th their nearest continental neighbours in the standings.
The upward move is notable because it came despite Nigeria failing to play a single minute of competitive or friendly football during the April international window. Under coach Justine Madugu, the Super Falcons did not take part in any matches during that period, a situation that drew public criticism from captain Rasheedat Ajibade and several other squad members. The ranking movement, driven by results and movements elsewhere rather than Nigeria’s own performance, provides a statistical comfort that somewhat masks an administrative picture that has alarmed many within Nigerian women’s football. FootballInNigeria.com.ng will continue covering the Super Falcons’ build-up to Morocco. Fans can follow their form and use the Bet9ja’s current promo code for upcoming fixtures.
Global Rankings: Spain Still Lead the World
At the top of the global table, world champions Spain retain the number one position ahead of the United States in second. England, who beat Spain in their UEFA Nations League encounter during the break, are third globally. Germany and Japan are fourth and fifth respectively, with Brazil sixth, France seventh, and Sweden, Canada, and the Netherlands completing the top ten. The next FIFA Women’s World Ranking update is scheduled for June 16, 2026.
Nigeria’s position at 36th means they enter WAFCON 2026 as Africa’s clear ranking frontrunner, a status that reflects their ten continental titles and consistent international performance over recent decades. The challenge facing the Falcons, however, is converting that paper standing into a genuine preparation advantage before the tournament begins in Morocco in late July. New Bet9ja users who want to stake on women’s international football can find full details at Bet9ja’s bonus code page.
The Preparation Problem That the Ranking Cannot Solve
The one-place improvement in the FIFA ranking sits in uncomfortable tension with the Super Falcons’ actual readiness for WAFCON 2026. Captain Ajibade’s public criticism of the NFF was unusually direct: in posts to her Instagram story, she accused the federation of failing to communicate officially with players about camp dates, and questioned how seriously the federation was treating preparation for a tournament where the stakes include World Cup qualification. WAFCON 2026 will send its four semi-finalists directly to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, with two further spots available through intercontinental playoffs.
Goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie also openly questioned the NFF’s priorities, suggesting the federation’s attention was disproportionately focused on the men’s Super Eagles. The NFF’s decision not to arrange any fixtures for the Falcons during the April window, compounded by Cape Verde pulling out of planned friendlies in April, left the squad with minimal match time in a period that will have mattered for cohesion and confidence. A three-day WAFU-B women’s football administrators workshop opening in Abuja on April 26 represents an institutional response to the development challenges, but the players’ frustration indicates that institutional capacity alone will not be enough without genuine operational commitment from the NFF. Fans backing Nigeria at WAFCON can use Bet9ja’s YOHAIG welcome bonus when registering.
📌 Did You Know?
- Nigeria’s Super Falcons have won the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations a record ten times, more than any other nation, with their most recent title coming at the 2022 edition held in Morocco, the same country that will host WAFCON 2026.
- Spain women’s team are the reigning FIFA Women’s World Cup champions, having won the 2023 edition in Australia and New Zealand, and their continued number one ranking reflects the dominance of a squad that includes the best players in the Spanish league system.
- England, ranked third in the world, beat Spain during the April 2026 UEFA Women’s Nations League window, a result that has potentially shifted the competitive dynamics at the top of the global rankings ahead of the next update in June.
- WAFCON 2026 was originally scheduled for March 2026 before CAF moved it to July 26 to August 16 in Morocco, giving all competing nations several additional months of preparation time, though Nigeria has faced criticism for not using that window effectively.
- The 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup will be held in Brazil, and the four WAFCON 2026 semi-finalists will earn automatic qualification, making the Morocco tournament simultaneously a continental championship and the most important qualifier in African women’s football since 2023.
- Super Falcons captain Rasheedat Ajibade plays her club football in Spain, where she has become one of the more visible African players in the women’s game, giving her public statements about NFF preparation an unusually broad audience across African and European football media.
- South Africa (58th) and Ghana (59th), the second and third-ranked women’s teams in Africa, are more than 20 places behind Nigeria in the FIFA rankings, a gap that reflects the sustained structural investment Nigeria has made in women’s football compared to its immediate continental rivals.
