Super Eagles Gain One Spot on FIFA Rankings After Beating Madagascar in AFCON 2027 Qualifier
- Nigeria beat Madagascar 2-1 at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on Friday, September 26, 2026, in the AFCON 2027 qualifiers
- Two Super Eagles debutants, George Ilenikhena and Moses Usor, scored to turn the game around after Nigeria fell behind in the 16th minute
- The victory lifted Nigeria one spot in the live FIFA rankings, with another qualifying clash against Guinea-Bissau coming up on Tuesday
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Nigeria's Super Eagles moved up on the live FIFA world rankings following a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Madagascar in their opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on Friday, September 25, 2026.
The Barea drew first blood when Ehsan Kari exploited a gap in Nigeria's defensive line in the 16th minute, heading home after beating the offside trap while goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali had anticipated the flag would go up.
Source: Twitter
Nigeria found their way back into the match through two players making their senior international debuts. George Ilenikhena levelled proceedings with the final kick of the first half, sparing the Eagles from going into the break behind. Moses Usor then completed the turnaround in the 65th minute, giving Nigeria the three points, as noted by NFF.
Nigeria climb FIFA rankings
The win pushed the Super Eagles up one place in the FIFA rankings, from 26th to 25th, while they held on to fourth position among African nations.
Meanwhile, Morocco's Atlas Lions also made a move in the same rankings, climbing to fifth in the world and matching the best-ever ranking achieved by an African nation, a milestone Nigeria themselves set back in 1994.
Attention now turns to Tuesday's Group L encounter against Guinea-Bissau's Wild Dogs, a fixture that shapes up as a top-of-the-table clash as Nigeria look to build on their winning start to the qualifying campaign.
Super Eagles land in Bissau
Legit.ng previously reported that the Super Eagles arrived in Bissau on Sunday evening ahead of their AFCON 2027 qualifier matchday two encounter.
Eric Chelle led his team in one final training session in Uyo before flying out, and will have another training session at the match stadium on Monday.
Source: Legit.ng
