African football has never been stronger, and this is certainly clear when looking at the FIFA World Rankings prior to the 2026 World Cup. Indeed, withVirgin Bet trusted sportsbook already getting interested in Africa ahead of the competition, a record 10 African nations will participate in the tournament held in North America this year. Moreover, there are no fewer than five African teams among the top-ranked in the continent, thus representing the current scope of football in Africa. Here are five of them. Morocco: 8th This is a truly historic achievement, as it puts the Atlas Lions on top of the FIFA World Ranking ladder for the first time ever, as well as the first time since April 1998. The current 8th position comes on the back of a highly successful World Cup where Morocco made it to the semis, as well as their impressive AFCON 2025 campaign on home soil. In the final, the game became somewhat overshadowed when Senegal decided to leave the pitch during the stoppage time due to a controversial penalty awarded against them. As the penalty turned out to be missed by Brahim Diaz due to an embarrassing Panenka attempt, Senegal managed to win the game in extra time 1-0. However, after the appeal by Morocco, the CAF Appeal Board reversed the results, giving Morocco the victory in a forfeit. Senegal’s appeal is still pending, but the country is officially considered champions of Africa despite the legal controversy.
Senegal: 14th
Senegal’s 14th-place FIFA ranking reflects the status of the team by virtue of the fact that, in essence, Senegal won the AFCON 2025 final on the pitch. Nevertheless, as mentioned above, the controversy of Senegal’s walk-off protest forced the ruling which took away the team’s title. This has cast a dark cloud over an otherwise momentous event for Senegal, but there is little doubt that the quality of the squad is truly high. With star players such as Nicolas Jackson, Iliman Ndiaye, and the recently returned hero of the occasion Sadio Mane in the squad, the team is likely to show a good performance against France, Norway, and Iraq.
Nigeria: 26th Another African team which has climbed up the ranking ladder by virtue of its success in AFCON, Nigeria sits in the 26th spot, climbing up 12 places after the AFCON triumph in bronze medal play-off games. While the ranking itself is undoubtedly the reason for pride for Nigeria, the fact that they will be missing from the World Cup this year means that the feeling is bitter-sweet. Indeed, being Africa’s third-ranked country with a global ranking of 26 means that the Nigerian squad is undoubtedly world-class. Yet, it was unable to secure their participation in the tournament, ending the cycle of qualification which started in the 1962 World Cup and lasted until today – with the notable exception of the 1982 edition. To make matters even more regrettable, this would have been the best-ever ranking for a Nigerian national team – indeed, their best-ever World Ranking is 5th place, achieved way back in April of 1994. Algeria: 28th Algerian team also occupies the top 5 positions on the FIFA ranking ladder, and the reason for the same is rather simple – with six ranking places gained between the end of last year and beginning of this year, it is a sign of the rising stature of a strong national squad. However, just like Nigeria, the team will not be taking part in the World Cup in North America this year, despite having made several appearances in the past few cycles. Indeed, the Fennec Foxes were playing in the tournament in 1982, 1990, 2006, 2010, and 2014 (where they made it to the Round of 16). Nevertheless, they were left outside the tournament in 2018, 2022, and 2026. With their current 28th-ranking position, it is evident that Algeria has a squad of high-caliber, and the task for the next cycle will be to turn that advantage into qualification results. Egypt: 29th Finally, Egypt occupies the 29th spot on the FIFA Ranking ladder. It is the result of an upward trajectory fueled mostly by the presence of one man – Mohamed Salah. In fact, the team’s AFCON semi-final performance brought them enough points to get inside the continent’s top five ranking positions. Moreover, their outstanding 0-0 draw in a game against 10-men Spain highlighted their immense quality as a squad. Nevertheless, as they say in football, “nothing beats winning”. Thus, with the current level of motivation and determination of Mohamed Salah who has been striving to give the country something to remember for ages, Egypt will probably prove the most fascinating African entry in the upcoming World Cup.
