Black Stars Climb FIFA Rankings After WCQ Success

Ghana’s senior national men’s football team, the Black Stars, have edged up one place in the latest FIFA/Coca-Cola Men’s World Ranking, published Thursday, April 3.

The move from 77th to 76th globally comes on the back of a strong showing in their recent 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches in March.

The Black Stars delivered commanding performances, securing a resounding 5-0 victory over Chad and following that up with a 3-0 win against Madagascar.

These results have seen them maintain their position at the summit of their qualifying group, offering renewed hope to fans.

This slight ascent marks a positive turn for the Black Stars, who experienced a significant drop in the rankings throughout 2024.

After a disappointing run of form that saw them win just two out of 14 matches, the team plummeted 16 places, ending the year at 77th in the world, a stark contrast to their 61st position at the start of the year.

Despite this recent improvement on the global stage, the Black Stars remain in 14th place among African nations. They trail just behind Cabo Verde (72nd) and Burkina Faso (64th) in the continental standings.

Morocco continues to lead the way in African football, holding onto their top spot on the continent and also climbing two places in the global rankings to 12th.

Senegal (19th), Egypt (32nd), and Algeria (36th) maintain their positions as the second, third, and fourth best teams in Africa, respectively.

Meanwhile, Côte d’Ivoire (41st) has overtaken Nigeria (43rd) to become the fifth-highest-ranked African nation.

Several other African teams saw significant upward movement in the rankings. Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Zimbabwe, and Sierra Leone were the biggest climbers, each jumping five places.

Côte d’Ivoire moved from 46th to 41st globally, Gabon from 84th to 79th, Zimbabwe from 121st to 116th, and Sierra Leone from 129th to 124th.

Conversely, Guinea-Bissau experienced the most significant decline in the African rankings, falling eight places from 120th to 128th in the world.

Ghana’s small but significant rise will be seen as a step in the right direction as they continue their campaign to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.