Nigeria’s Super Falcons have retained their dominance in Africa, holding firmly to the continent’s top spot in the latest FIFA women’s rankings released on Friday.
Despite maintaining their 36th position globally, the nine-time African champions continued to showcase their strength during the international window.
The Super Falcons secured back-to-back victories against Algeria, winning 2-0 and 4-1 when they hosted the Northern Africans at the Mobolaji Johnson Stadium. Following that, Justin Madugu’s troops went on to suffer a narrow 2-1 defeat to a strong French side last month at the Stade Raymond-Kopa (Angers).
Madugu’s team leads the African rankings, with rivals Banyana Banyana of South Africa trailing in second place. Morocco, Zambia, and Ghana complete Africa’s top five.
They match on to Morocco to participate at the 2024 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations in July 2025 where they have been seeded to face Botswana, Algeria and Tunisia at the group stage.
The Nigerian Falcons will be eyeing their 10th continental title at the tournament, and having made an impressive display at the last FIFA Women’s World Cup, it is expected that the same attitude will be shown towards this tournament.
Although, at the 2024 Olympic tournament, the Falcons were subpar with their performance as they were shown the exit door at the group stage following a back-to-back loss to Spain, Japan, and Brazil.
They hope to correct this error in their next tournament with the hope of bringing their 10th trophy home.
Shina Oludare is a distinguished sports journalist and managing editor, renowned for his comprehensive coverage of African football. His dedication to elevating African sports on the global stage has earned him widespread respect, along with numerous accolades for his contributions. A graduate of the LaLiga Business School in Madrid, Oludare’s passion for sports and his influential work in African football journalism have established him as a leading figure in the industry.
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