Nigeria Named Second Highest-Ranked World Cup Absentee

Nigeria Super Eagles are the second-highest-ranked team not participating at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as they remained 26th in the latest FIFA men’s World Ranking.

Only Denmark Ahead of Nigeria Among World Cup Non-Qualifiers.

England and Chelsea legend John Terry was among those to voice his disappointment, describing Nigeria as a significant loss to a tournament that features 48 nations for the first time.

“Nigeria will be a big miss. This is a World Cup for participants who haven’t had the opportunity to play in the tournament.

A Big Miss For Nigeria

Terry said during a SuperSport virtual roundtable that he would have loved to see a strong team like Nigeria at the World Cup. They have outstanding talent.

He also said He think they are a big miss because Nigeria probably would have gone further in the competition, but unfortunately, one side’s loss is another’s gain.

Eric Chelle’s side finished second in Group C of the CAF World Cup qualifiers behind South Africa, who secured automatic qualification.

The Super Eagles reached the playoff final but lost to DR Congo on penalties, missing a second consecutive World Cup.

The Nigeria Football Federation later challenged DR Congo’s qualification, alleging the use of ineligible players during the campaign, but the appeal was dismissed.

Despite missing the World Cup, Nigeria remain Africa’s third-ranked team behind Morocco and Senegal, with Egypt and Algeria completing the top five.

Defending champions Argentina lead the FIFA rankings, ahead of France, Spain, England and Portugal, with Brazil sixth.

The next FIFA Global Ranking will be released on July 20, a day after the World Cup final.